


Endless Red | Naruto Fanfic

by Pixistixs



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adventure, Love, PTSD, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2020-10-06 00:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20497637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixistixs/pseuds/Pixistixs
Summary: Bloody and bruised, Naruto Uzumaki, traveled twenty years to the past after the entirety of his world was burned to ashes; his friends murdered by his own hands. The now eighteen-year-old Kinuki Totsuka lives to save the world of the past from his own. One step at a time, the mentally unstable veteran strives to correct the mistakes of his generation. A Naruto Time-travel Fiction.





	1. The end | Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> 'Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..." Bold 
> 
> "Past memory..." Usually in italics
> 
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> 'Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..."
> 
> "Past memory..."
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Edited as of 8/15/2020

With a slow but robust kick, Naruto managed to launch a mangled and bloody Sasuke across the deserted wasteland. The man he once called a brother was gone, his body an unidentifiable mess of ash and grim. The minuscule flitch of his hand was the only indication of life the male's pale corpse. 

Naruto slowly limped towards Sasuke, his long red hair waving behind him wildly as he shakily gripped Sasuke's cold, bloody hand. His torn clothes barely clinging to him as he bent down to move the hair out of his brother's eyes. Everything rested upon that hand because finally, it marked the last of humanity. Everyone but Naruto was dead. Everyone he loved and cared for dead, all by his own hand. 

"Naruto," the Raven muttered hoarsely, a single tear made its way down his cheek onto the rigid rock under him. "I'm sorry, dobe." He whimpered, releasing unstable gasps as the sky began to cry. The redhead sat there for a while, his mind blanks as he released all his with-held emotions into the empty abies. He sobbed quietly, not having the strength to do more than a whisper. But, He couldn't say anything, despite having rehearsed the words he wanted to say over and over to his dead friends for the past 3 years. 

Sakura, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Konoha, everyone was gone. All perished by his own hand. The world became a wasteland of rubble and death. Every inch of the land was covered in severed limbs and blood, all washed away with the rain. The Jubi destroyed the world as his friends gradually destroyed his mind. And with a curse placed upon all his closest friends just before Orochimaru's final breath, he was forced to fight each of them to the death even after the acceptance of their true end.

Every friend died in a similar manner. A quick and painless death, with small parting words, a smile and a final"Thank you." But this time was different. This time, the former ANBU captain held his Hokages gaze until his final breath. His eyes radiating sorrow and guilt with all he had done to the redhead over the years. 

Even as Sasuke's hand fell limp in the teens and his eyes red Sharingan eyes dimmed, Naruto held a plastered smile. It was one of the only things he held onto as "Naruto." The now redhaired teens neon yellow locks were long gone. Lost with his resident's regular push of chakra, it itself thickening his light whiskers to the point where an untrained eye would assume as though they were drawn on with dark marker. His ocean blue eyes no longer held the innocent gleam of youth but the glitter of constant determination still rested in the depth of his pupils, his heart pushing him to save everyone, to end their suffering. 

He could only prey to kami that this was the last death he had to face in his horrifying long and traumatic existence that would soon be extended.

With a shaky step, the whiskered teen made his way to a flatter surface and pulled out the remains of a crumbled, white chalk and began to draw within a large, white circle. Ever since his attempt at mastering Fuinjutsu at the age of 17, his Godfather -Jaraija the gallant- assigned a final task; A time-transfer seal. And so, for the past 2 years, Naruto spent any free time working on a life-defying jutsu; A jutsu that could change the entire course of his world. It wasn't a perfect nor an ideal solution but it was the last thing he could think of without the outcome listing him insane. 

The circle was larger than Naruto himself and resembled that of a clock. Except for the fact that it ended with the number 13 rather than 12. Every dusted stroke reflected his incoherent dreams, his desires, his past goals, it reflected Naruto. And when he finally finished, the world seemed to freeze in anticipation. 

This was the key to the past; A time-traveling seal he could use to change the course of the world. A way to save his friends in another past-era. 

The redhead's eyes brightened slowly, the smile on his face becoming more sincere. He glanced back at Sasuke's bloody corpse before swiftly placing his hand on the middle of the seal. "I could save you, Sasuke... " He thought solemnly. "I could save everyone."

In his mindscape, Kuruma beckoned Naruto to continue, placing a claw on his young kit in support but not daring to utter a word. 

At once, both container and beast released a steady flow of chakra that merged together to form a bright golden color. The chakra seemed to sing in glory, emitting happiness and hope. But at the same time, it felt solemn and dark, as though all evil was about to rise once more. 

Almost instantaneously, Naruto was pulled into a world of black, the only sound being the constant drip of a droplet on another form of water. Soon, though, he was able to see a small lamp in the middle of a strange body of water. As Naruto walked toward the lake, he was startled to see the reflection of a pale man with long horns and purple eyes. On his forehead, a Sharingan emanated red light throughout the black abyss. The man also wore a long white cloke covered in strange black orbs which could also be found forming a circle behind the man. 

"Hello, Naruto." The figure spoke warmly. "How have you been?" 

The teen stared blankly, considering his options. This "thing" knew his name, does that mean that they know each other? But he had sworn he had never seen such eyes before. He would have remembered such a strange man. 

"I'm not a "thing", child. I am-"

"Father?" Naruto could hear Kurama's whimper echo throughout the room. And as he turned around, he could've sworn he saw a tear fall down his brightly colored fur. "You're alive." 

"No, Kurama. I merely exist within the boy's soul. He is the child of prophecy after all. " The figure shook his head. "But, currently, I am here as an informant for the boy. You two must consider something before you break the laws of time itself." 

Naruto nodded his head, unconsciously choosing to put trust in the man. 

" As you go back to an era with your younger counterpart, his life will no longer be based upon the prophecy. This would mean that his life will not be parallel to yours as he is no longer the successor to my throne." 

"What throne exactly?" The redhead inquired skeptically. "I mean, who even are you?" 

"I am the Sage of Six Paths, boy." The sage laughed. "Have your mentors taught you nothing?"

"No, sir." He mumbled.

"Well, all in due time then. Kurama, teach the boy a few things, will you? But back to the matter at hand." The old man stared knowingly at Naruto. "You must understand that within the laws of destiny, every small movement you make, every word spoken, will change the lives of all those around you. At one point, you will cease to exist, as your body does not have a true vessel and all those you impacted will forget your very existence. You know this, do you not? At any matter, I have a bargain for you, dear child."

Naruto nodded again. 

" I am willing to give up a body up as your soul's vessel." Naruto's gulp echoed lightly. "In exchange, you must do you as you always have. Bring the world to peace bit by bit. It is a task I have been unable to do my entire life, but I have faith in you, boy. Now, do you accept my bargain?"

"Yes, sir," The redhead replied brightly, the vast possibilities filling up his mind. The sage smiled. 

"Well then, I wish you both farewell and good luck." He looked a Kurama, his body beginning to appear translucent. "Say hello to your siblings for me, will you?"

" Wait, Fathe-" Kurama began, only to be engrossed by complete darkness. The abyss fell silent, the only sound being muffled voices that only seemed to be getting louder and louder. The words began to be clearer and clearer before he was once again overwhelmed by a bright golden light. 

"I think he's dead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what did you guys think? I think it was pretty neat, considering that it's my first fanfic. Well anyways, 
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


	2. Team Minato| Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuing on! As we last left off...
> 
> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> 'Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..."
> 
> "Past memory..."
> 
> Enjoy!

...The words began to be clearer and clearer before he was once again overwhelmed by a blinding golden light.

"I think he's dead."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Stop that!"

As the floor-bound redhead readjusted his eyes to the bright suns rays, he was met with a dark-haired boy continuously flicking his forehead and preparing to stick a saliva-wet pinky into his ear. He swatted the boy's hand away, bathing in a strong warmth he hadn't felt in ages. His senses rendered and he could feel chakra in other substances once again.

"Hello?" He could hear the boy whining once again. "You alive in there?"

Naruto finally looked at the child, his eyes widening as he registered who he was. Obito. As in, child Obito and child Rin.

"It worked!" The whiskered teen laughed as the two stared at him in disbelief.

"What are you some kind of crazy scientist or som- Ow!" Obito said bluntly, before being backhanded by Rin and rubbing the forming bump on his head.

"My apologies, sir. My name is Rin Nohara and this is Obito Uchiha. We found you near the edge of the fire border. I was able to provide basic medical aid and you should be alright for the time being. Our sensei will be joining us soon, so could you, um, hang tight till then?"

Naruto smiled brightly, pausing to think momentarily. Young Rin and Obito acted exactly like him and Sakura did as children. The constant mentoring and erratic nature infuriated Sasuke. And yet, with their differences always vivid, they became the best team in the entire shinobi world; In their book at least. And without a doubt, Naruto knew that given the chance, this team would've been exactly the same.

"My name is Kinuki Totsuka, a spy for the leaf, I have been on a mission for several years now. It's nice to see some friendly faces once again." The words felt foreign in his mouth. After Garaa's final breath, Suna fell under a new, corrupt leader. The entire village became miserable and he felt it his duty to save his best friends legacy. He infiltrated Suna under this name and killed the Kage with furious passion.

"Wow, a spy! You must be really strong or something! Teach me, Teach me!" Obito yelled obnoxiously, flailing his arms with everlasting energy.

"Uh, I don't think I have the right to. I mean, what would your sensei say if I did." The young Uchiha pouted, staring at the teen with sere determination. "Do you know what day today is, young Rin?"

"It is Friday, October 17 in the year 422 SY" She answered politely before asking her own question. "Where have you been all this time, sir?"

"I've been in Kusagakure. But," He dragged out the word. "I can't tell you why, it's top secret." He grinned towards Obito, who brightened at the phrase 'Top secret'. Naruto began to tune out the mass of shouts that came from the bickering Obito and Rin and instead focused on the footsteps closing in quickly.

"Rin, you shouldn't give out information like that. He might be a spy." Naruto whipped his head towards an upper branch. There sat a young Kakashi, with both eyes still attached and his superiority complex intact. Obito gave out a huff.

"Well, if you were listening Baka-Tashi, you would have heard him say that he is a spy so blah."

" A spy for another country you idiot."

The sound of weaponry filled the air. With the glaring sun's rays reflecting off metal, a collection of kunai and shuriken were launched at the group, forcing the redhead to deflect the weapons with his own in an attempt to protect the young children. In front of them, Kakashi was thrown to the ground with a forceful kick from behind.

Around them now stood what looked like a group of Iwa chunin, all grinning towards the teens with a unique stance.

"Give us the girl and no one gets hurt." One of the five men shouted. Naruto raised a brow at the man as if mocking him.

"No, I dont think you understand. If you leave peacefully, you won't get hurt." He threatened. The Iwa-nin laughed at the male and the children gathered behind him unconsciously, pulling out weapons of their own.

"Well," The men grinned. "I hope you can put your money where your mouth is, boy."

The leader of the group ran towards Naruto, pulling out a sharp Tanto out of its seath as the others ran towards the chunnin behind him. Swiftly swinging towards Naruto's chest, the redhead pushed himself into a flip with the force of the sword, effectively confusing the shinobi as he bounched off his head towards the others.

While Kakashi was able to hold his own against two of the nin, Rin was relying on Obito's reckless courage to protect her, using a wimpy kunai against the shinobi's large disposal. The leader struck at redhead again and he dodged the sword with experience beyond his age. He felt the exhaustion catching up once again. He knew with the amount of energy he spent on the seal and his best friend, he would last no longer than 10 minutes against these douchebags.

'Do we have enough chakra for a simple B-rank?' He asked Kurama in his mindscape quickly.

"It's risky, kit. But, if you have no options than sure. I'll give you as much as I possibly can. Nothing above a B-rank, do you understand. B-R-A-N-K." The jinchuriki nodded, feeling the surge of power giving him a small adrenaline boost.

That was until he heard Kakashi scream in pain. Dodging the leader once more, he hit him in a single point at the base of his nape and silently thanked Haku as the commander landed face first into the lushes grass. He searched the clearing for Kakashi, catching the young jonin holding his eye in a surge of pain. Meanwhile, a tied of Rin sat unconscious at the foot of a tree, Obito mere centimeters away from her. The Iwa shinobi crackled in glee, laughing at the team's quick defeat.

" If you leave peacefully, you won't get hurt." The group mocked the former kage, kicking Kakashi to the ground as he struck at them with the muddy kunai.

"Wind release: Passing Typhoon!" The redhead released a sharp gust of wind at the men, slashing at their necks, killing all of them instantly. He let out a sigh of relief; he wasn't out of the ring yet.

"Brat, that wasn't a B-rank!" Kurama shouted within Naruto's mindscape, causing him to wince mentally.

"Kaka-Baka, are you alright." The teen addressed winced at the nickname as Obito began to roll on the muddy floor, holding his sides painfully in laughter.

"Yes, I'm fine." He huffed in annoyance. "My name is not Baka-Tashi or Kaka-baka, its Kakas-" He held his tongue, turning towards Rin and untying her with one hand while cradling his eye in another.

"His name is Kakashi Hatake, 13, Jonin of Konoh-" Kakashi threw his last kunai in-between Obito's legs, shutting him up as the hyperactive boy whimpered for sweet mercy. Naruto smiled at the pair, they were exactly like him and Sasuke used to be in their genin days, except, these children were seasoned killers, stuck between war and childhood.

"Kakashi, come here a moment." The silver-haired teen raised an eyebrow. "Come on, I promise I won't bite."

"Earth Release: Flying thrown stones!"

A multitude a boulders fell towards the two 'friendemes' as rocks hit mountain nearby. Obito panicked, pushing the other away from the line of rocks and into safety as the earth was mere seconds away from flatting him into a pancake.

Naruto's eyes widened and without realizing, used Kurama's swift chakra to push himself towards the Uchiha. And just as the rock just grazed Obito's nose in an attempt to trample the young child, the rock launched towards the awaken commander, crushing him in its stead.

Obito opened his eyes to see a man made of gold. Pure power resonating in the air and large ears on his head formed out of pure chakra. A long cape with firey tips hit his face lightly as the wind swayed his clothing.

"Kakashi." The man called forward. "Come here. Quickly now, I don't have much time."

"Kinuki.." Kakashi breathed out at the redhead's glory. Despite his mental effort, the Jonins heart reached to the man, pushing him towards its warmth. Naruto raised his right arm to his wounded eye, releasing a fair amount of nature chakra to heal the eyes posterior chamber.

And while the young jonin was able to see light once again, the teen felt his entire world fall into darkness. He was gasping for air, his chakra levels at an all-time low.

The Hatake's eyes widened in shock. "Kinuki!" He yelled, reached towards the teen as the bright golden chakra that encased his body wisped away with the wind.

He looked towards a blinking Rin in alarm, catching her eye as she raced to the redhead's aid, laying a thin sheet of green chakra against his head.

"His chakra levels are too low, damn it." She mumbled to herself. "How was he able to even move with levels this low?"

Obito made his way next to the group, staring at the once glowing man in pride.

"Did you see that!" He shouted at Kakashi. "That was awesome!"

A rush of air fell behind the team and a blond jonin joined them on the floor.

"Minato-sensei." Rin acknowledged.

"Who the heck is he?" Said blond responded, his flank covered in spots of crimson blood. He took a deeper glance at the man and placed an identity to that hair immediately. An Uzumaki. The only clan to have hair as red as the blood on his now scarred chest.

"He introduced himself as Kinuki Totsuka, a spy of some sorts. He said his a shinobi of the leaf but look." Kakashi points to a metal plate at the redhead's thigh. "It just says 'Shinobi'. What village just writes 'Shinobi'?"

Minato thought for a moment. "None that I know of. But he might have some vital information even if he isn't a leaf shinobi. Let's grab him and go. Kakashi, I need a recap on the occurrence. Rin, could you spear some wire? I'll tie him up just in case."

"But sensei, he saved our lives! Shouldn't we at least trust him?"

Minato narrowed his eyes. What would this boy have to benefit from helping some tiny chunnin?

"It's just a precaution, Rin. You should always take any step nesseccary to ensure your safety." Rin threw him some tape, nodding at the future Kages words.

"Well then, let's go back home, shall we?" He smiled, placing the teen on his shoulders and they jumped to the covers of the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie a second chapter. And it didn't turn out as bad as I initially thought. So, just as a clarification, Naruto went back in time around 21 years back. Currently, Team Minato is at the tender age of 13, the same day that Obito was supposed to die and Kakashi was newly appointed Jonin. For those of you who are saying "Oh no, Kakashi doesn't learn his life lesson if Obito doesn't die, blah blah." Then don't worry, there is a future plan for his existential crisis trigger. Naruto is at the age of 18 and Minato is 20, 2 years away from becoming Kage and 3 years away from Naruto's birth. So that my friends, is the math part of the story. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


	3. Kinuki Totsuka | Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We continue!
> 
> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> 'Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..."
> 
> "Past memory..."
> 
> Enjoy!

"Minato, explain to me again why you're carrying your shadow clone?" A wise and elder man stared holes into team Minato, their extra baggage toying with his patience. The team sweatdropped, leaving Obito near hysteria.

"As I said before Hokage-same, this is no clone of mine. This is a man who identified as a spy of the leaf, Kinuki Totsuka. He said he was on a long term infiltration mission in Kusagakure." Minato paused, glancing at the thoughtful elder. " He saved my team from a group of Iwa chunnin during our mission. He had-"

" He was cloaked by this huge golden chakra thing!" Obito felt it his duty to interrupt the two men, exaggerating every word with erratic hand movements every now and then. " It almost looked like he had fox ears made of chakra and his eyes became weird slits like a cat. Do you think he was a cat, Rin? I think it was more of a kangar-"

"Obito, enough!" Rin scolded, glaring daggers into the boy, silencing him instantly. 

" So this boy- whom I have never seen in my life, mind you- saved your team by becoming a kangaroo. Wonderful, let the team left with the final war mission become lunatics, they said. It'll be fine, they said." The Hokage sighed, putting a hand on his head. "Take him to Inoichi. Let him deal with it."

"Sir, with all due respect, this man must be loyal in some way if he sacrificed himself for some mere children. No offense team." Minato admitted. " Nor did I sense any indication of violence in his chakra the entire time. In fact, it felt, happy? Are you sure he is no shinobi of the leaf?"

" He might be under a very good hedge, he did look like he had really good chakra control," Kakashi suggested, toying with his haitai that now hid his eye. Deep down, Kakashi felt attached to the man, he did save their lives after all. Without him, they would've most certainly died. The man might even be willing to teach him that godly golden chakra thing they saw. But, if he turned out to be a spy, he would surely be met with death; no mercy would be given during a time of war.

Sarutobi glanced at the unnaturally red long hair, weighing the probability of hair as saturated as an Uzumaki's being the true hair color of the young teen. It was very unlikely. With the Uzumaki clan being wiped to smithereens, it was very probable that he was under a well-executed hedge. The elder man caved." Test that theory, would you Minato?"

Minato laid the redhead across the floor, muttering a small 'ok' at his superior. He crossed his fingers, pulsing his strong chakra and allowing it to resonate around the room. 

" Kai." Nothing happened. "Kai" The blond repeated, once more.

Eventually, the male fell to the floor next to the teen, laughing in spite of his exhaustion.

" Definitely not a hedge Hokage-same. But he has thousands of seals all over his body, it's absolutely remarkable. I wonder if he is a fellow seal master. I have to wreak his brain when he awakens." Minato began spacing out, his genius overcrowding his common sense functions.

The Hokage sighed once again, taking a long drag of his pipe before signaling to his ANBU, who immediately took the whiskered teen towards what they assumed to be the Torture and Interrogation Department.

"But Hokage-Sama Kinuki did nothing wrong! Why is he going to be tortured?" Rin ran towards the desk, slamming her hands against the piles of paper.

"Not torture, Rin. Interrogation." The elder flicked a kunai towards the younger hands, separating her from the important documents. "Now, all of you. Out of this office at once."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kinuki awoke to the distant drip of water echoing in a cold, dreary room. He could smell mold and moss in every crack and corner of the room. The creak of a door signified the entrance of a person, his light steps indicating a seasoned shinobi.

A light sting on his check snapped the redhead into the world, his hands struggling against the tight rope that was wrapped around his body.

He looked up at the man in front of him, his long dull hair bringing tears to his eyes. However, the man before him portrayed no emotion but a tired and depressed aura.

"Are you alright?" Kinuki asked the interrogator before him. The dull haired man smiled lightly at Kinuki, a false mask easily slipping onto his face.

"Yes. Thank you for asking." The man impulsively fidgeted his feet against the hard stone floor. "My name is Yamanaka Inoichi and I, by orders of the third Hokage, have been tasked with asking you a couple of questions. It is imperative that you answer with all honesty. I heard you aren't a bad person, so I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

Kinuki smiled sympathetically at Inochi. "Then ask away, I have nothing to hide."

"Who are you?"

"Would you mind opening the door for Hokage-Sama first? I don't think the old man still has the skills to hear through a high ranking barrier and a steel door."

Inoichi raised an eyebrow at the boy, his back inching towards the door but his eyes never leaving the redheads. He reached towards the handle, opening the door slightly as he felt for another body through the small opening. To his surprise and dismay, his hand did truly reach for the silk garments that only a man Hokage status would wear.

The blond spun around, bowing towards his leader while he could clearly feel the grin of the teen behind him radiating like the sun. 

"The world shunned the Phoenix, its eyes baring the marks of a true Shinobi. Fire shines brightly within the rose, the legacy of the Phoneix passed on century by century. This marks the life of a Hokage." It took the elder a man to release his code, but when he did, his eyes became saucers, his eyebrows lifting above his hairline.

" ANBU, return to headquarters. Inochi, I want that barrier tripled, quadrupled even." The room began to scatter in disarray, all the while, Kinuki sat unaffected. The scholar glanced dully at the teen, knowing what was to come.

When peace settled once again in the filthy room, Kinuki looked up towards the old man he once called Jiji, his heart warmed at the thought of once again having a grandfather.

"Speak boy. Only those who are Kage are to use that code. Any other to use it are punished by death, you understand that don't you?" The redhead nodded. "Now, who are you and what is your purpose here in Konoha. Speak the truth alone or we shall use force."

The redhead lowered his head at his leader, emitting only respect at the man. As a child, Kinuki trusted him with his life, his Jiji was one of the only reason he was alive to this day. And yet, he knew that the elder before him was not his grandfather. This was a man who truly valued his job, a fresh off the press veteran. He was only acquainted with an elder leader who indulged in its village's peace, living the rest of his years with very little power over the council. But deep down, he could still see the will of fire in his pupil, tormenting genin with D ranks and caring for the village as though all its citizens were family.

"My Lord, I speak to you the truth and only the truth. I rest my words upon my coffin and with it, I shall reveal the only things I have come to know. My true name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, age 18 or technically negative 3 years old." Kinuki paused for a second, taking a breath before continuing. " In my time, I was a former ANBU commander but formally the eighth Hokage of Konohagakure, Son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. I have mastery over infiltration and seals and I come twenty-one years from the future due to the absolute demolition of the world."

The Hokage blinked at the redhead before him. "Boy, do you take me as a fool?"

"No, sir."

The Elder sighed for what must have been the hundredth time this evening. "Let's say I believe you. What do you have to prove that you are telling the truth in any way shape or form."

The former blond thought for a long minute, contemplating what he had left to lose.

"Well, I mean, you got Inoichi right there. Maybe we could put his powers to good use, don't you think?"

The young adult addressed looked at his leader, moving towards Kinuki when he finally got the nod 'ok.' He placed a hand upon the redhead's forehead, his baby hairs tickling his hand as he entered the teen's mindscape. Pure agony overcame the mind reader. The world he saw was no world at all. Everything was lost, grim and blood covered every inch of the world and the sun was nowhere in sight. It was as though the whole world fell under the rule of a devil and little did he know, he was right.

Inoichi pressed forward in the males' most recent memories and his former lies became infinite truths; devastating, horrifying truths. His journey ended as he watched a fight between former childhood rivals, tears flowing freely down both of the boy's faces as they faced off to death.

"Sasuke my entire life I have raced after you." The whiskered teen yelled while uppercutting the Uchiha in the gut. "And I only began to question that recently. Why did I thrive to beat you after all these years when you were off having sex with a snake?"

The Uchiha spluttered throwing a fist the others face. "I did not you ass!"

"After all these years, I have come to realize that you were the only person that I could ever call my brother. Even though you nearly killed me hundred of times, shunned me, called me an idiot, I knew deep down that you were the kind of family that I always wanted. But you were stuck up on your blood brother, the man you thought massacred your family with no other intentions but to test his limits on his vulnerable family. Only after you killed the only blood family you had left, did I start to doubt our friendship. Sasuke, you are nothing but a naive fool, and that's saying something coming from me. All my life I was called the number one knucklehead of Konoha while you were hailed a prodigy long after you betrayed the village. Well, let me tell you something!" The boy threw a punch at the ground, breaking the ground into crumbles of land.

"You were loved by all your friends, all your family but you still choose to be a complete asshole. Itachi sacrificed his entire life, his entire identity, for the village, while you gave up everything for the sake of power. Tell me which is more honorable! Huh, Sasuke tell me!" The fight froze, both boys panted on opposite sides of the flat ground, tension filling up the doubt.

"But even though you are nothing but a foolish prick, you are still my brother." The redhead stared passionately at the Raven, using what little balance he had left to limp towards the other.

"Kill me, Naruto." Sasuke cried, freezing his brother in his place. "If I am to die, I am to die by the hands of my brother. The number one most unexpectable ninja, the enigma of the leaf and most importantly, my best friend. You piece of shit better do it face before I change my mind."

The former blond hesitated for a second before smiling sincerely at his brother. With a slow but robust chakra filled kick, Naruto managed to launch a mangled and bloody Sasuke across the deserted wasteland. It was clearly a fatal blow, as the Raven showed no intention of ever standing up ever again. The minuscule flinch of his hand was the only indication of life in the male's pale corpse. The younger slowly limped towards the Uchiha, his long red hair waving widely behind him as he gripped Sasuke's cold, bloody hand. His torn clothes barely clinging to him as he bent down to move the hair out of the other's eyes.

"Naruto," the Raven muttered hoarsely, a single tear made its way down his cheek and onto the rigid rock under him, never releasing the whiskered teen's eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry dobe."

It was only when Naruto's cries of agony subsided slightly, that Inoichi became aware of himself once again. He was thrust into the real world, panting heavily as he made his way to the ground.

"Oops." He could hear Kinuki giggle. "Did you see too much?"

"Quiet boy," The Hokage shunned the younger. "Are you alright Inoichi-San?"

"Hokage-sama," Inoichi gasped. "He speaks nothing but the truth. I have seen our world end with my own two eyes. He was the only one left."

The elder pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering to himself. "Fine, release the boy, will you Inoichi-San."

As the words were said, the veteran shinobi fell to the ground, freezing in his place. The elder raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, I'll do it myself." He muttered, digging out a Kunai from one of his many pockets. "A future Kage, you say. Remarkable, you must have been the youngest of all Kages to ever exist."

"Actually, my friend Garaa holds that spot. He became Kage of Suna at the tender age of 15. After he got his resident extracted too. Man, he was so cool." Naruto laughed, waving his hands freely as they were released from his constraints. "Thanks, old man."

"We must have been pretty close for you to call me old man." The elder shook his head. "Have your parents thought you nothing?"

"Actually, no. I was an orphan all my life. You were the closest thing I had to a Jiji, old man."

"At any rate." Sarutobi cut the younger off. " You must understand that I am not the man you once knew. To me, you are practically a stranger, no offense but I don't exactly trust you, child. In addition, all information you have on the future, along with your former status, must be withheld. You do know the problems with tampering with fate, don't you?"

"Understandable," Kinuki smirked, his determination passionately reaching the other. "I'll just have to convince you to trust me bit by bit."

The elder mirrored the teen's expression, feeling the will of fire deep within the boy. "I like that attitude, now come along now. We shall talk more of this in my office, do grab Inoichi-San as you exit."

"Yes, sir" Kinuki mocked a salute, flinging the Yamanaka over his shoulder as they shun-shined to the elders office.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hours passed and Kinuki was finally allowed to leave the life-draining office after a much-needed talk, not without proper supervision of course, but he was able to leave nonetheless. A few tears were shed, a few debates yelled but they were finally able to come to an agreement. 

Former Eighth Hokage of Konohagakure, Naruto Uzumaki, was now known as Kinuki Totsuka, an ANBU who answered only to his Kage -an agreement made after he raised some much-needed eyes at the council- and a citizen of the leaf once more. Kinuki left with his old Konoha Hitai-ate on his forehead and a blank ANBU mask in his seal. He was given a lodging one block from the Hokage's tower and one block from the ANBU headquarters, all in all, a decent location.

After entering the slightly furnaced apartment for the first time, he placed a quick seal on his door and all but sprinted to his favorite restaurant of them all; Inchiraku Ramen. All the adrenaline from his previous fight a few days ago never left the blond, leaving him as the only hyperactive ball of light in the dark and silent streets. Needless to say, the restaurant was closed, which would be obvious if the redhead hadn't neglected to check the time. And with one glance at the three current heads that look upon Konoha, he knew that the fourth Kages head was not an option. Instead, he decided to visit his old training ground, Ground 7. 

He walked there on auto-pilot, having gone the route so many times that the feeling never left him. All those times he ran down the streets only to find his sensei nowhere in sight. When he finally reached the training ground, tears flowed freely from his face and onto the grass below him. The night's cold wind gently caressed the redhead, pushing him towards his past genin meeting point, a bright red bridge. He sat on the railing for a while, gazing at the beautiful constellations above him as it calmed his raging emotions. After a while, boredom overtook the former blond and he walked on towards the field, noting the missing memorial stone. 

It was there that the three naive academy students became team seven, a universally known team that surpassed even the great sannin. Naruto, who was hailed the most unexpectable ninja in Konoha, Sasuke, the last Uchiha and glory of the council and of course Sakura, the top kunoichi of her academy class and later the best medic in all of the shinobi lands, all represented parts of a whole.

They fell apart more than once, sure, but they were always a team. But when Sakura died two years into the war, the glue that held the team together also fell apart. Sasuke disappeared once again, and Naruto indulged himself in his training, not stopping to rest for even a minute. His hard work and dedication earned him the title of Hokage and only after his inauguration did Sasuke come back. 

But by then, Sasuke became a mere shell of himself, controlled by anger and hatred rather than his pride and strength. 

Kinuki sighed, breathing in the fresh forest air that he hadn't felt since Konoha's time of peace. Rolling up his sleeve, the redhead revealed a storage seal drawn on his forearm. With a small pulse of chakra, a tanto lanced in gold unsealed and he began to let his thoughts flow in forms of katas. He struck at the sky, swiftly moving around the field as he twirled and spun around. The moon glinted upon the sword, forming soft peaks of light as he moved. 

It was only after the sun peaked did the redhead release that he was fighting an actual person. A blond jonin, in fact.

The teen jumped back, parrying the male's sword with his own. He jumped down, kicking behind the man's knees and pointing the edge of his tanto at the man's neck. 

"Aw, why did you stop." The jonin panted, storing his own sword in its holster located at his thigh. "That was so fun! I haven't been bested by anyone in a while." 

"Uh," the redhead panicked, sprinting towards the bridge once again. "Sorry, bye!"

"What the fuck was that, Naruto."

' Its called "evasive maneuvering."'

"Uh-huh, running away from the man you have been fighting against for three hours is called ''evasive maneuvering''." 

' Three hours?' Kinuki screamed at the fox. 'Shit!' 

The blond jonin appeared in a flash of yellow before the redhead, effectively stopping his "evasive maneuvering."

"Nope, I gotta talk to you." The blond before him spoke. "Did you really not realize that we've been fighting all this time? That's some reflexes you got there." 

"Er, ya," Kinuki replied awkwardly, his hands itching to form a seal. 

"Listen, I wanted to say thank you, you know, for saving my team..."

"Sure, no problem."

"...And we wanted to treat you to dinner as a thank you." The future kage fell silent. "Wait, shit lets start over. That was absolutely awful." 

Kinuki giggled slightly, nodding at his father. 

"My name is Minato Namikaze or the famous 'Yellow Flash'. I'm a jonin and sensei of team Minato! You already met my students and they'll be here in about," Minato glanced at the rising sun, paling slightly. "Ten minutes for training, did we really spare for three hours?"

"I guess so." 

"Anyway, I carried you for hours without knowing who you are so I think an introduction is in order." 

"Uh, I'm Kinuki Totsuka." He smiled, making a rainbow with his hands. 

Minato glared at the redhead. 

"Uh, I'm an ANBU who has been on a mission for a good year and a half. I was on my way back when you found me, so yea." He mumbled. "Thank you for taking me home but I have to get back to my apartment now. I'm pretty tired and I was on autopilot most of the time we fought." 

"Of course, I'm sorry for troubling you."

Kinuki waved at the jonin, forming a small seal with his hands that instantly took him to his apartment in a flash of red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was chapter 2! I hope you all enjoy. Its a bit short but it covered a lot of keys points. Also, before everyone goes, but there are so many holes in the story, this is absolute shit bleh well ya, those holes are intentional I swear, they will be covered throughout the book so just wait. I want to thank all you those who gave me feedback, it was heartwarming and gave me the determination to continue. Keep em coming! All in all, the moral of the story, Kinuki is not "Kinky", as much as autocorrect wants me to believe. 
> 
> I also want to point out that all those following this book on fanfiction.net have already received the chapter yesterday! So if you want early chapters, go head over to Pixistixs on Fanfiction.net! As always, 
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


	4. Iwa and Kusa | Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop Woop, new chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion. 
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> 'Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..."
> 
> "Past memory..."
> 
> Enjoy!

"Naruto.."

"Sakura, where are you going? It's not safe out there."

"I'm sorry Naruto."

"Sakura, No! Don't leave me. Please, I need you here with me."

The pink haired teen walked forward, looking over her shoulder with a smile. She stood at the edge of a cliff charging all her chakra into her fist for one last attack.

"Naruto," Sakura urged. "Become Hokage, don't let my sacrifice be in vain! And remember," Her fist became bright green, her entire body a lightning rod of light.

"I love you!" Sakura jumped off the cliff head first, her chakra filled fist positioned in front of her. The current blond dragged himself to the edge, disabled by his broken arm and leg. He watched briefly as his teammate struck the ground in between an entire Platoon of white Zetsu's, killing them all instantly as the ground cave in on itself. And all Naruto could do is watch from afar as his best friend got crushed by a massive boulder.

"Sakura!" Kinuki woke with a start, panting and dripping in sweat. He swore he must have sat there for an hour, whimpering and apologizing to a nonexistent Sakura.

"It was nothing more than a dream, kit." Kurama reassured him from his mindscape, yawning slightly.

' Are you sure?' Kurama sighed at the man in front of him, acting more like a child than a war-trained shinobi.

"Yes, kit. I'm sure."

"But Kurama, you don't understand." The redhead cried slightly. "I could've done something. ANYTH-"

"Now I'm going to stop you right there. You couldn't have done anything. She willing sacrificed herself for the sake of the village and most importantly, you." The fox growled at the teen, baring his teeth. "Now stop being a baby and wake up."

When Kinuki finally regained composure, he took a deep breath before stepping out of his sweat-soaked bed and onto the cold, wood floors. The sun had just barely risen and he knew that he still had a few hours before he had to speak to the Hokage once again.

The whiskered teen sighed, taking out one of the four pairs of pants and briefs he bought over the course of the last few days. Dressing in what little he had, Kinuki strolled towards the kitchen, cracking an egg over a pan and popping a slice of bread onto a paper plate.

The last week he had been in Konoha had proven to be somewhat uneventful and the former Kage was just itching for something to do. The majority of the week consisted of avoiding team Minato in their attempt at 'wooing' him and major 'talks' with the old man. But that, of course, sounded so much better than it actually was.

Sitting down on his cramp-inducing couch, the teen took a bit of his toast and released the yoke from its yellow bubble. Kuniki chuckled lightly. The spilling yoke could easily represent his mind, slowly releasing its knowledge from its encloser and into the world. And yet, all this mindless thinking took him away from the truth of the situation. He had roughly 3 years before everything went to hell; a slow and shockingly painful hell.

The former Naruto Uzumaki stood up once again, placing his finish plate onto the pile of dirty dishes before exiting the apartment to the lovely,-mind the lovely- lovely office of the Hokage.

He walked as slowly as humanly possible. Wanting to stay as far away from the building as he could.

"Kinuki." The Hokage greeted at the sound of the other groaning. "How nice of you to join me."

"A pleasure as always." The redhead muttered through his teeth, sitting at the small chair at the foot of the desk.

"You know Kinuki, I don't think I've ever heard Kakashi talk for more than two minutes since the boy's father died and yet, he spoke about you for a solid fifteen." The man let out a chuckle. "Sure, it might have been all rants but it was talking nonetheless."

"Are they really still looking for me? I thought they would've given up by now."

"Well, Kinuki, you have to face your past one day, you do know that."

"I know, old man." The redhead glared at the elder. " I just wanted to avoid it as long as possible. I thought being in ANBU would help that."

"Well, it wasn't Minato's fault you fought for three hours." Sarutobi took a waft of his pipe, ignoring the other bickering. He heard a small sigh in defeat."I want to hear your thoughts on the conclusion of the third Shinobi war."

"I mean, what are you currently proposing?"

"I would like to establish a policy that would increase our relations with Iwagakure in any way possible but contain the peace we have with the Tsuchikage at the same time. The council proposed that we offer a simple policy of reconciliation. We wouldn't ask of any reparations from Iwa and Kusa would release their grasp on Iwa. Your thoughts?"

"Yea, fuck that. That's going to show that Konoha is weak. Old man, what were you thinking?" Kinuki stood silent for a minute. "Listen, the end of the war is ultimately in our hands now. How we play the deck is going to show the world how we solve our problems. Now, considering how Onoki is one of the most stubborn old men I've ever meet, we got to reach a coda that fits both of our countries' standards."

Naruto walked to look out the window. "I'm thinking a three-way oligarchy in Kusa."

"An oligarchy, you say? Do you think that Onoki would truly agree to that?"

"Well, that all depends. Listen, old man. Kusa is no way shape to provide for its citizens. What I'm hoping that means is that the current Kusa leader is willing to do anything for reconciliation. But, we on our own can't provide that because our country's economy is absolute shit right now. On top of that, that would be like agreeing that the war was our fault."

"And so you offer?"

"If we, alongside with Iwa, send a delegate from each of our countries, we could each gain land and negotiate a better term of peace. During the fourth shinobi war, Kusa was completely destroyed; along with all our rations of food. We could prevent that and gain income from the country by sending our unemployed farmers to Kusa. Which would not only strengthen our relations but boost our economy and supply food." The redhead smirked. "Onoki really just wants land, so why don't we give him some. "

The elder released a breath of smoke, deep in thought at the strategic genius he was just given. "How would we began such negotiations?"

"Well, first we would have to write up a formal letter proposing the terms to Iwa. I think rather than sending another leader to Kusa, we could both send personal advisors to the capital and negotiate privately. It would be safer than sending two Kages into the depths of war, obviously, and finally, it would offer a conclusion both our council and citizens would be satisfied with. Anything drastic would need the involvement of a Kage but overall it would be run by the three officials."

Sarutobi smiled. "Well, are you up to it?"

Kinuki turned towards the man, raising an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"The proposition of course. You are in ANBU, are you not?"

"Yes, but a person who knows the antics of not only you but all the Kages would be preferable. Onoki would rather speak with a face he knows. Not a no name."

"And who do you suppose worked with all the Kages at one point, Kinuki? Who, other than you, is better at negotiating the tactics of war that you came up with?" The old man smiled. Of course, that wasn't true in the slightest. He could always send Shikaku, the brightest man in the village but, the wise man knew that if the future Kage didn't do something, he would explode. He watched the redhead's small smile become a full-on grin.

"You mean a mission?" The whiskered teen brightened. "A real mission?"

"Yes, now stop being a child." The old man chuckled. "If I didn't know any better, I would've believed you to be a genin."

The younger flung himself at the wrinkled man, hugging him tightly. He rubbed his cheek against a sagging one, repeating a 'thank you' as though he was a broken recorder.

"There is a catch." Kinuki instantly let go, his face falling drastically. "You will be going with ANBU team 005, with the exception of an extra Inoichi."

The redhead dropped to the ground, holding his knees as he rocked back and forth.

"It can't be that bad, Kinuki. You have to interact with other people than myself. I know I am very admirable but you need friends your age."

"Shove a sock in it, old man." The younger turned away, muttering softly. "Whatever, everyone around me dies, anyway."

"You know that not to be true, Kinuki. I am very much alive, thank you. Now, not only will this be a mission, but also a test of your diplomatic and physical skill. You know, the ambassadors of Kusa-"

"- are very skilled in diplomacy. I am aware." Kiniki smirked. "When will this mission be?"

"Test, Kinuki. It is moreover a test. But I am willing to send you as soon as dawn tomorrow. I would have to talk to team 005 but they are more than likely to agree."

"Well, see ya, old man. I'll catch you later."

"Kinuki." The teen addressed turned away from his route towards the door, giving the elder his full attention. "You better impress me. Stay out of trouble, boy."

" Well, duh old man." The redhead grinned at the old man.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To say Minato was mad would be an understatement. Minato was furious. That stupid redhead vanished in an exact replica of his own jutsu the other day and all but disappeared off the surface of the earth. He was told days ago by the Kage himself that Kinuki was sent on yet another mission and yet, something about that didn't sit right with the blond.

They wouldn't send such a young boy mission after mission, would they?

Well, at least he wasn't the only one. Currently, he and his team sat at the same bridge the redhead was sitting on the other day. And while he was slightly winded, his entire team sat on the ground, gasping for air.

"Where," Obito coughed. "The hell is that Kangaroo dude!"

"I don't think calling him kangaroo dude is a good idea." Kakashi shrugged at the raven. "He looked more like a fox to me."

"He literally introduced himself," Rin gaped. "Why don't you just call him Kinuki."

"Cause that's such a weird name!" Obito ran towards the clearing and jumped onto the wooden logs that stood in the middle, pointing a finger into the air. "Kinuki Totsuka! Where are you!"

Ever since their encounter with Kinuki, the team thought of the teen as some kind of God. All because of some warm, golden chakra that he didn't even see. Minato scoffed at the team. What was so good about some gold kangaroo chakra? Even if the chakra was able to heal Kakashi's eye, it surely didn't restore his vision. The silver-headed teen still fell off balance most of the time and rehabilitation could last months. But, knowing him, he could be up and running by the end of the week. The rest of the team was as energetic and determined as ever.

All because of a small experience with a small fry spy.

"Sensei, let's do a C-rank!" Obito shouted once again, his eyes filled with determination. The blond sigh once more.

"Obito, we were put off duty for the next 2 weeks. We aren't allowed to do anything but train. Most of the genin and chunnin were put on lockdown because finally, we could settle an alliance with Kusa and Iwa. The council was talking about it most of the week." The young Uchiha still held Minato's gaze angerly.

"If you really want a mission, I think we could do another round with the Demon Cat. Don't you think?"

The Uchiha immediately sprinted towards the exit., horrified that he even suggested such a mission. He was able to get 4 feet away before tripping over his feet. His tired legs refusing to carry him any longer.

"Minato-sensei, I don't think that's necessary. I'm going to go home and read a book." The Uchiha smiled politely. Rin laughed.

"You? Read a book?" Kakashi mocked. "Is the world ending tomorrow?"

"You know what, screw you Kakabaka, I could read a book. And I could prove it too!"

Thee two began to bicker, leaving the rest of the team to watch in dread. It would be a boring two weeks, indeed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Miles away, Kinuki cringed ferociously. Getting a feeling that going to Kusa was a terrible idea.

A week ago, the Hokage sent him and a group of ANBU back towards Kannabu bridge, to settle and negotiate with the new leader of Kusagakure after the Iwa finally released its binds on the country. They were set to meet at the Tenchi bridge; the same bridge where they met Kabuto during Team sevens time with Yamato as well as the absolute last bridge that was left in Kusa after the war.

Of course, this wasn't just a mission, as much as he wanted it to be. It was also a test. Which was why the only other person to know his true identity also joined them today, staring at the boy intensely as they continued on their path out of sight.

Kinuki hoisted his sword unto his arm, feeling minuscule chakra signatures close by.

"Captain, visitors incoming at 30 degrees," The whiskered teen announced to the group silently. "Prepare to engage at 1423 minutes."

"How many?" The frog masked ANBU turned towards Kinuki, unsheathing his sword. The others followed his example, taking out any weapons they saw fit. The sensor closed his eyes, envisioning the group incoming.

"I'd like to say 5 or 6 Kusa soldiers and Kami, their chakra is mad!"

"Good work, Aka." Kinuki grumbled at his nickname. It was so lame.

'I mean come on red? Can they get any more creative?' 'Aka' fake laughed mentally. 'Wow, his hair is red so let's call him red. Wow! What an ingenious idea!'

"Kit, during wartime the only thing they were taught was how to fight. If you knew a color you were practically hailed a genius."

'Whoop de doo.'

"Intersecting in 30 seconds." He announced once again, counting down before quickly placing a barrier seal around the group as explosions hit from all directions. The barrier of safety quickly broke and as the smoke cleared and the squad of Iwa soldiers quickly attacked the ANBU from beyond the smoke.

Two soldiers went straight for the prize and attacked their captain with everything they had. Kinuki quickly parried a sprinting soldier with his arm guard, ducking under his fist and swiftly hitting a point along his neck. The male crumbled to the ground and the redhead moved to help his fellow teammates.

The men were easily dealt with and none of the team was hurt even a bit. They were most likely amateurs or even more likely, starved and malnourished. Even the Kusa-nin's captain crumbled in under a minute.

"Sir, what should we do with the men?"

The man with the frog mask turned towards the now tied up ambushers. "Well, we definitely can't kill them. That would probably cancel negotiations completely. We'll just have to carry them."

'Aka' summoned a shadow clone quickly, allowing the clone to throw him a shinobi along with hoisting a man over its own shoulder. He could feel Sloth glaring into has back in envy. Once all evidence of their existence was cleared, the men moved out once again.

The trip continued for hours in silence and Kinuki could officially say that it was the worst mission yet. Not only was he being watched by a Yamanaka, but now Sloth decided to join the fun as well.

Eventually, with many pit stops in between, the team was able to make it to the border and strangely, no one was stationed at the entrance.

"Frog, do you think something is wrong?"

Frog glanced at mouse. "Its war, mouse, anyone who is able to work is working inland. Not hours away from civilization. On top of that, there isn't enough food to supply soldiers miles away from the capital. Did you really think just anyone would agree to a 3-way government without being in a desperate situation?"

"No, sir."

The redhead ANBU took pity on mouse. "Aw mouse, don't worry. It was a good question, really."

Mouse laughed at the blank-faced mask. "You sure are weird, Aka. Never heard of an ANBU reassuring an ANBU on strategy."

"Well, it's true so don't be discouraged!" The male grinned, radiating joy at the other. The two continued to converse as they trotted further along the route, much to the teen's pleasure.

"Aka, you know, I've never actually seen you before. And I try my best to at least become acquaintances with all the ANBU and Jonin."

"Well, how long have you been in ANBU?"

"I've been ANBU for the last year and a half; Jonin for 4 years."

"That explains it. I've been in ANBU ever since academy 6 years ago. I've been on objectively every long term mission ever." The whiskered teen explained.

"Just how good are you? You must be awesome if the Hokage specifically choose you to be a representative." Mouse questioned. In truth, the girl was severely doubting the young male's skills. Despite his muscular build, the boy looked like a scrawny chicken.

"I'm pretty good if I say so myself." Kinuki smiled.

Sloth groaned. "Shut up already." The group fell silent.

"You can talk?" The Redhead gapped at the male.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hours later, ANBU team 005 finally entered the small capital. The shinobi stationed at the front gathered the ambushers and took the team to their leader's office, where they discussed the formalities of the agreement. As Kinuki thought, the man was desperate.

No matter how many times the redhead proposed the unthinkable, the man still agreed, begged even. And then Iwa waltzed in, ranting to the older man with false dignity and grace. And so, even though the leaf team was tired and wary, they were forced to debate against one of the largest men Kinuki had ever seen.

Eventually, the leader released them, claiming that the formal discussion lay upon the eyes of the gods on the glorious Tenchi bridge. And so, the team now walked toward their inn, masks eyeing all those around them.

"Kiniuki!" The redhead swung around, immediately spotting the black-haired child ramming towards him. The teen paled slightly, backing up towards the other members who were slowly leaving him behind. Behind the child walked a murderous other, his cerulean blue eyes dripping with killer's intent.

"Kinuki!" Obito shouted once again, grabbing onto the man's leg. On the other leg, a young purple striped girl hugged the leg tightly, restricting all movement from the redhead. As the blond jonin inched towards the trio, however, the redhead started to move his feet with much vigor.

" Oh, what a surprise, it's team Minato." The blank-faced mask replied with mock enthusiasm. Inside, however, he was sweating his pants off. By now, team 005 had left the scene, patting the male on the back as they turned down the street.

"We finally found you, you insolent kangaroo!" Rin nodded at Obito's words.

"And we're never letting go!"

The Redhead sweatdropped, listening to his resident's inner laughter as he tried to gather his thoughts. He was a kangaroo apparently and team Minato managed to find him while he was in Kusa, Kusa.

Kinuki felt himself getting lifted off the ground by his shirt. Furious blond hair took over all his vision, scaring him shitless.

" Kinuki, where have you been? We've been looking for you." Minato said deadly calm, smiling ever so politely. "Doesn't matter, you can tell us all the details while we eat dinner. How does Ramen sound?"

"Sounds good!" He managed to whimper out, wiggling his feet that just barely touched to the ground at this point. The man truly sounded like a scolding mother.

The team clapped in success, cheering and hugging each other as they pulled the whiskered redhead to the nearest stand. The said teen allowed the children to pull him along. In truth, he thought he had more time. He knew now that he would never be able to escape the teams tormenting grasps.

Right no3, the teen wanted nothing more than to be alone. He knew the war had changed him, it was undeniable. He wasn't the hyperactive child with abnormal amounts of stamina and the attention span of a butterfly. He was the war-torn veteran, a man who saw his friends and family die first hand. A man who struggled to sleep for hours because he felt unsafe everywhere. His instincts crawled in every situation, itching for a sense of action because, at this point, he knew nothing more than how to fight.

He wasn't Naruto anymore. No, he was Kinuki. And although he wasn't really sure what that meant yet, he knew that time travel led him to the journey of self-reinvention; he was being born anew.

Kinuki chuckled to himself. Without a doubt, he knew that this team that led him now would be the key to that. They would somehow piece every puzzle together. Maybe it would take months or even years. But, slowly, the redhead would become Kinuki, something more than the mere holder of the name; he would be more of the welder of the unknown sword.

"Kinuki! Kinuki!" He could hear Obito jump enthusiastically from the seat across from his. "What's your favorite Ramen? Do you like pork in yours? DO you have a special jutsu that makes food more delicious or something? Why are you here anyway? Were here on a C rank mission, which is sooo lame but-"

Rin hit the boy in the crown, effectively silencing him. Rin smiled at the teen. "Where have you been, Kinuki-san? We know sensei offered you dinner a while ago so why have you avoided us all this time?"

"Miso ramen, no, no I wish, I can't tell you. And of course not Rin." He quickly blurted out as the table waited patiently for his answer. "It's just, uh. I've honestly been trying to rest most of the time, being out in the war for nearly a year really does hurt you. It's weird being surrounded by people that aren't trying to kill or torcher you inch by inch."

Minato's eyes darkened. "Aint that the truth. Once a veteran, always a veteran. It's hard to live life again after living in only danger for so long."

The table fell silent. The only sounds being the placement of bowls under their noses. Immediately, Obito lifted the bowl to his mount, slurping the Ramen's contents in seconds. Kinuki laughed, letting his chopsticks drop into the bowl.

"You know, Obito, you are exactly the same time of kid I was when I was your age. Granted, I never had to fight in the war like you guys do but I was a hyperactive maniac nonetheless."

"What are you calling me a hyperactive man-" Kinuki slurped noodles loudly, ignoring the boys "death" glare.

"Man, the best Ramen really only exists in Konoha." The redhead smiles. "But this is a solid number 2 on my list."

"With that, I have to agree." Minato joined Obito's rage. "But, we have so much to talk about and it's unbelievable how you managed to disappear off the surface of the earth for so long. I genuinely thought that you had died since I last saw you."

Minato continued to rant to the redhead for long minutes, leaving the rest of the team to eat and listen to his rage. Kinuki looked like he was going to shit his pants most of the time and across the table, Kakashi continuously gulped his words down. For once in his life, he had no idea what to say to the man. In the past week, he adapted the man as his hero. Sure, he was still blind in one eye, but the nurses claimed he was lucky to even be alive. The slash had punctured a part of his nerve that would have started a chain reaction till he was crippled. Luckily, Kinuki was able to heal the wound, or he would've been dead on the spot without even knowing it.

On top of that, Kinuki saved his best friend and rival and he knew Obito feels the same way as he does. Never did he feel as connected to his team as he did now. After so much trauma, he needed someone to cling to. And somehow, that someone quickly became Kinuki; even after only speaking to him twice in his entire life.

"And so-"

"Kinuki, I want you to train me." Kakashi cut his sensei off. The table was left gapping at the silver boy but the teen still held to others calculating gaze.

"What? Why?" The whiskered teen was actually confused. In the past two weeks he had spoken to the young jonin, every word indicated that he absolutely hated him. The younger fiddled with his thumbs, looking down at his now empty bowl of ramen.

"I don't know. I just feel like you are so powerful and it's so cool." Kakashi felt himself rambling. " And on top of that, if you had shown up even a second later, my entire team would've been dead. Without you, I would've been dead, Rin would've been dead and Obito would've become a pancake and I feel like I'm in debt to you somehow."

"But, Kakashi, Minato-san is already your sensei. I couldn't possibly replace him. Besides that, I'm an ANBU and newly appointed personal advisor for the Kage. I don't know how I could balance all that at once." The teen's face fell instantly. "But, when the time comes around eventually, I could come to teach something new to the team once and a while; if that's ok with your sensei of course. Although I must warn you, I am absolutely terrible with kids or teaching in general."

Minato gave Kinuki the thumbs up. "Technically, he is a fellow jonin, I have no authority against him. So I'm not his sensei. But, it'd be lovely to see your face ever so often. Maybe this way we'll know whether or not you're alive."

"I'll be sure to do that then. " The future 8th Hokage laughed, standing out of seat slowly and placing some coins on the table. "But, I have to get going. My team may actually kill me if I don't show up before midnight."

The shinobi waved at the departing teen, finishing their own bowls and standing before glancing at Kinuki's filled to the brim bowl. The once ravenous and ramen loving young man hadn't even had 2 bits of the soups glorious flavor.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A few dozens of days pass and finally, the three advisors had reached a compromise befitting of the two gigantic countries. Kusa and Iwa had listened to everything Kinuki had proposed, agreeing that his terms were reasonable and beneficial. And so, the final day came, leaving sprinting to meet the suddenly raging Iwa advisor. They could hear the man's vulgar voice from miles away.

The room went quiet as the ANBU walked in, taking their masks off as the elder leader insisted.

"The third Raikage has died." The stone advisor got straight to the point. "He was killed slowly over the course of three days by hundreds of Kusa shinobi in attempt to help his comrades escape. His son was elected to fill his position and has demanded this alliance disbanded immediately. Our Tsukage has agreed, as you know we are also under alliance"

"Now, hold on!" Kinuki stifled, "There is no need to be so rash. I'm sure we could settle this peacefully somehow. Kusa-sama, what is the meaning of this?"

The leader fell silent, leaving the tension to rise quickly and swiftly. "Aka-san, as I'm sure you know, there are several Kusa and Iwa shinobi who are dissatisfied with the end of the war. They want to destroy Konoha and take revenge. They are rebels who camp just beyond the fire's border. It is likely that they are the ones behind the death of your Kage. I have nothing to do with that."

"Can we try extracting information from the shinobi we had captured?" The redhead questioned. "Maybe they would be willing to give us some behind the scenes?"

"All of the chunnin you captured had committed suicide by cyanide before we could get a word out of them."

"Well, darn it all." He cursed. Was there any way to convince them not to cancel? There was absolutely no way that he could speak face to face with the new Raik-

"The Raikage has said that he would personally come to talk to you over the course of the next two days." The advisor continued loudly despite the other protests. "So we suggest you stay for a while longer, Konoha-nin."

"Your Kage does understand that we could end pointless battles with this treaty, right? Now, I get that his furious his father is dead but wouldn't it benefit us all to stop the continuous deaths?"

"The third Raikage was like a father to all its citizens. There are no doubt countless of citizens vouching for Iwa's head!"

"No shit, but would you rather the death of one man or the death of thousands!" Kinuki stopped himself from rambling further. Clearly, the man in front of him had too much pride to be persuaded by a word. He didn't doubt that the newly appointed Raikage was any different.

And so the man stepped out of the room as quickly as he came in. Burying his rage deep within himself. During the war, the teen had thought of A as a stubborn older uncle, all he needed was a grumpy wife and he would fit the title wholeheartedly. He had spoken to A briefly about his father and predecessor and he knew that the young man within the Raikage felt deeply affected by his father's death. At first, A was furious with his father, sure he had killed hundreds and saved thousands, but at what cost? But at the same time, he was definitely proud of his father, in a way, he was like Kakashi. The man cherished the shinobi rules and only after becoming Kage did he soften for his comrades and understand his father's sacrifice.

Right now, the Kage was in the furious stage of his mourning. And when he was mad, he was mad.

The teen groaned, noting his team following behind him. He was going to end up being here for months

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey, disaster has struck once again. I don't have much to stay today but I would still like to thank everyone for their continued support. Today, however, I pose a simple question. 
> 
> Should this be a Minanaru fanfiction? If not, what should it be? Should this book focus on romance at all? 
> 
> Multiple people on fanfiction.net (Go check out pixistix for faster updates) have voted no, so please comment your opinion on the matter. I do want to make everyone happy but if I have to, I will pick the majority. But anyway, you guys are amazing! I have never thought of writing as something so rewarding as it is. So, 
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


	5. Universal Pull | Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hello! Welcome back!
> 
> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> 'Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..."
> 
> "Past memory..."
> 
> Enjoy!

A pineapple haired Jonin lay quietly on the grass, watching as the clouds pushed past with the cold wind. He shivered slightly, glancing at the blond next to him who was restlessly curled up and staring off into the trees.

"Take a nap, Naruto." The boy groaned at the other.

"I cant, Shika." He whimpered. "I just can't anymore. It's too painful."

Shikamaru sighed, mumbling a small 'troublesome' to himself as he sat straight up once again. The teen next to him quickly did the same.

"There are a few Zetsu's incoming. Where is the rest of the team?"

"Their dead Naruto. Don't you remember?" The intelligent muttered softly, slowly standing up while using the tree behind him as a support. "I'm sorry."

The whiskered blonds hearted pulsed, his breath gained momentum as he fell into a fit of rage. He jumped to his feet, sprinting towards the group of enemies in front of him and leaving the other behind. Using Kurama's chakra, the boy was able to shred through the white clones, slashing left and right in an attempt to get rid of his rage. 

As the cloak eventually whisked away and his thoughts caught up with his heart, he realized his friend no longer by his side. Naruto scanned the area only to find every living thing around him dead. Surrounding trees fell, turning to ash as they burned. The grass around him gathered in clumps, clear foot marks intended itself into the in soft ground as roots became more visible.

At the foot of a distant tree lay his pineapple-haired comrade, a sword sticking straight through his gut. The wound was bleeding vigorously and it quickly became clear to the teen that his best friend was going to die.

Naruto threw himself through the clearing, stepping over the bodies of the dead zetsus as he struggled to make it before Shikamaru's final breath.

Smoke wafted towards the blonds face, its strength deteriorating as quickly as his friends' life was. He dropped down to his knees, swiftly releasing the man's gut of the sword and placing a golden hand on the wound. He cried softly, begging his childhood friend not to go so soon, muttering too many sorry's to count.

Shikamaru, however, was not so easily discouraged. With his remaining strength, the raven placed the smoking cigar against the other's chapped lips.

"See you later, you troublesome blonde." The man released his final breath, allowing his eyes to droop into eternal rest.

"Shikamaru! No, please! Don't go!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kinuki opened his eyes once again, only to close them swiftly. Tears flowed freely from his face and onto the tree's branches below him. A soft breeze fluttered the leaves, comforting him in its sheer beauty. It reminded him of home.

"-It's what bunny would have wanted!" Unconsciously, he listened in to the people fighting below him only to discover that they were, in fact, the remaining members of ANBU team 005, mouse, sloth and their captain, frog.

"Bunny would've wanted us to ruthlessly slaughter the people who killed him? Are you going insane!" Frog shouted at mouse. "That kid would've never wanted us to take revenge on any man let alone his brother."

"It doesn't matter! They will pay for killing such an innocent child!"

"Mouse, you foolish girl! The opposing shinobi have suffered just as much as we have. We have killed the same amount of their shinobi if not more and you think that we have the right to take revenge?"

The group went silent. There was nothing left to be said. Mouse knew without a doubt that Frog spoke only the truth but something deep within her just didn't want to accept that.

"So, what? We took this mission for nothing?" The girl whimpered. "I would've never come back here unless it was to take revenge and you know that."

Frog didn't answer. He turned towards the opposite direction and walked away, throwing a bark splitting kunai into the tree in frustration. Mouse followed frogs lead and stomped off, leaving a thoughtful sloth behind as he gathered his feelings as well.

"You can come down now, Aka." Kinuki sweat-dropped, he forgot to mask his presence before three highly trained ANBU. They most definitely knew that he was eavesdropping on the conversation. The redhead dropped before the other, rubbing his neck slightly.

"Sorry, Sloth. I shouldn't have listened in." The teen was met with silence."That sounded seriously personal."

Sloth contemplated his options momentary, deciding to entertain the teen before taking a deep sigh. "Bunny was our old teammate. He was very young and scrawny to be in ANBU so we all treated him like a little brother. But he only lasted a few months. On our last mission at the Kannabi bridge, he was brutally murdered by an Iwa shinobi who thought Bunny was the one who killed his wife. Mouse had refused to even leave her room until we were offered this mission."

Sloth's deep voice sunk into Kinuki's mind, reaching his heart with familiarity. "That really sucks, man. I'm so sorry."

"Well, that's life." The ANBU looked beyond the teens mask, straight into his eyes. " You look way too young to have such dead eyes. Looks like you've held your fair share of deaths too, haven't you?"

The redhead looked up towards the passing clouds, smiling sadly. "You could say that again."

"We were a family, you know." The man's deep voice faltered. "But we're never even going to know the kids' real name. The Hokage refused to tell us anything about his family or his life. We didn't really know anything about him but his code name. We could've protected him better. Maybe then-"

"Now, listen Sloth," Kinuki interrupted the other. "Bunny knew the dangers of entering the ANBU but he did it anyway. It's no one's fault but his own. Instead of regretting everything you could've done to save him, savor the memories you do have with him and move on. You should be very proud of him, he died to save the country. Without his sacrifice, we would've never gained the upper hand."

"You treat him as though he was only a pawn on a chess board." He spat at the whiskered teen.

"In a way, we all are Sloth. We shinobi are in charge of protecting the king." Kinuki eyes filled with determination. It was the now alive Jiji who taught him this recently. "Our lives are detected to protecting Konoha and we accepted that as soon as we became genin. But, who do you think the King is? Who do you think we are truly protecting?"

Sloth thought for a second before raising a brow at the boy. "The Hokage?"

"One would think that we are protecting the kage but think of it like this. The pawns represent the genin, the rooks on the board could represent chunin and the horses represent the jonin. If the bishop represents the daimyo and the Sannin while the queen represents the Hokage, then who is the King?" The future seventh kage was met with silence. "The king is the generations to come; the future children and grandchildren of today's generation; the future protectors of Konoha. We shinobi dedicate ourselves to our jobs for a better future. And Bunny is only a prime example of this chess board. I've blamed myself for the death of all my friends for years. Never valuing a person until they were truly gone. Don't follow my mistake, Sloth. You have to move on. It might take weeks or months, but don't ignore the people who still care for you now."

The bulky man smiled down on the redhead, the sun peering down on the duo as the mood instantly brightened.

"Thank you, Aka." Sloth laughed. "You really do sound like an old man. A wise and elder old man."

"Oh, shut up."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A large and strong voice echoed throughout the village, threatening all its citizens with its might. The owner of the voice? Well, it was none other than the newly appointed and still mourning Raikage, A.

"I don't give a damn that these men aren't under your command! They were your people, and they killed the third Raikage! The deal is off."

"Listen, A." Kinuki slammed his hand on the table, standing up to face the man with fearless eyes. "This is the end of the war we're talking about. Onoki is not under your command so if you don't do something now, they will go against you. This is a negotiation between Kusa, Iwa, and Konoha, not your own. So why don't you guys back off?"

"Because you killed our Kage!" Naruto sighed, eventually giving up on convincing the thick-skulled man.

"What if we went to destroy the camps? It would be mutually beneficial to all of us, wouldn't it? What do you think, Kusa-sama?"

The Kusa leader looked at A cautiously, struggling to release a few words in fear of getting flattened. "I agree. These men want nothing to do with our village anymore, they value revenge over the lives of their people. They should be killed themselves for murdering so many innocent."

"How about you, Lord Raikage?" Kinuki glanced at the hunk of a man. "The only string attached is that Konoha, Kusa, and Iwa get their alliance and go through with the negotiations. do you agree to the terms?"

A thought momentarily, trying to separate his rash thoughts from his somewhat normal thoughts. The other two countries were left to watch the man deliberate with himself, the tension rising as more and more time pass.

"Alright, you win Aka-San." The redhead released a sigh of relief. "But be warned. If I see any wrong moves showing me that you are against my village, I will kill you and all of Kusa in an instant."

The said representative sweatdropped. "Right, would you be ready to leave towards in the next hour? We could delay until tomorrow, of course, but-"

"Yes." The Raikage interrupted the teens ranting. " Kusa-sama, will you be joining us today?"

"Why, yes of course. You should never doubt the old bones that helped found this good country of ours." The leader said proudly. "I will gather my elite and loyal ninja within the hour and meet you at the gates. May the will of fire be upon both of you. Meeting adjourned."

Kinuki turned and stepped out of the humid and tenuous room, whipping a sweat from his forehead. As much as the teen loved A, this version was a little much. He was brash and blunt but he was still somewhat trying to act like a true Kage. The former Kage sighed, moving through the hallways with quick precision before changing his route towards a familiar blond haired jonin and his young team.

"Yo." The team awoke from their stupor. Over the course of his mission, team Minato had stayed to help their escort with some kind of construction, but more often than not, they could be found with the redhead rather than actually doing their job. Their time together consisted mostly of laughter and nostalgia. And while it saddened the former blond, it also brought him joy and hope.

Step one of his three-step plan to protect team Minato was complete. Conveniently, he traveled back in time on the same day as Obito's supposed "death" and was able to prevent it completely. Step two consisted of protecting Rin from becoming the third tailed beasts jinchuriki and her ultimate death. Meanwhile, step three consisted of eradicating the feud between the two rivals and preventing Kakashi from falling into a black hole of doom. If he were to complete such a simple task, saving the world from destruction shouldn't be so hard, right?

"Kinuki." The blonde greeted. "How did the meeting go? It sounded exciting throughout the village. Like a lion fighting over his meat."

"You could say that again. The Raikage is a mad man. Which could be a good and bad thing considering what the next step is." The teen paused. "Actually, would you guys like to come? It would be pretty good to have a world-renown hero on our side."

"We'll do it!" Obito responded immediately. "What's the mission about? Killing hundreds of men? Facing off against a demon king?"

"Actually, you're not far off. We're going with the Raikage to abolish the rebelling Kusa shinobi. And if your sensei is willing, we could use your help on the battlefield."

"I don't know," Minato replied. "Would it really be smart to send a bunch of children to the depths of the battlefield?"

"I didn't say anything about sending Obito and Rin to battle." Kinuki smiled. "Kusa is short on medical-nin and the two could definitely help even if it's a short term solution. Rin could use this chance to teach Obito some basic first aid in case of an emergency. Meanwhile, you and Kakashi would help out in fighting against the rebelling shinobi. But be warned, there are a couple hundred of them."

Minato looked towards his team, waiting for a thumbs up from each of them before replying. "Sure, why not."

The teen clapped his hands together. "Alright, we leave within the hour. Chop chop, get moving ladies."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

An hour later, a small but strong company gathered at the front of the gate, each shinobi waiting silently for their commanding officers. A distinguishable red and blond hair were seated at the front lines. Next to them was none other than the Kage of Kumo, A. His bickering continued to echo within the small village, raising the bar of standards and drastically decreasing any willing volunteers.

A short elderly man stepped through the crowd towards the group of leaders. "Are we ready?"

The men nodded at the elder as they all waited for Kinuki's word. Said redhead struggled for words momentarily but was reassured by the nod of a silver jonin's head. He turned toward the shinobi, straightening his back proudly.

"Listen up because I will only say this once!" He shouted at the company, continuing when he heard sounds of agreement within the men. "Platoon One will be lead by Lord Raikage and will presume position 034 while traveling. With the same position, platoon two will be lead by Kusa-sama. My platoon and Minato's platoon will presume position 092 and interchange with 047 at exactly 1738 minutes. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." The men's voices were heard loud and clear. Some unsure, others filled with pride. But it was blatantly clear that they all shared the same goal; to stay alive.

"Now men!" The redhead turned towards the large exit, his long hair flailing dramatically as he turned. "Let's move out!"

For days the company moved towards Ame with minimal breaks in between. The trip was tedious, crossing over rivers and climbing up mountains deemed hard for the young and inexperienced. But eventually, all the shinobi made it to their destination in mostly one piece with a single casualty; the Kusa leader. The "Old Bones that helped found the country" fell ill quickly during the trip and with no proper medicine to treat the man, died within two days. The platoon was taken charge by the advisor from Iwa and while he was one of the "Young and inexperienced," faired well on his own.

When the leaders settled and began to set up camp, the platoons gathered together to build tents for both the leaders and for the future wounded.

Now, at exactly one in the morning, you could spot a familiar redhead dashing towards the trees towards one of the nearby enemy camps.

"Kinuki!" The teen froze, checking his defenses before looking towards the voice. Running towards him was a now bed-headed jonin. His iconic blond hair spouting in every direction. The redhead snickered under his breath.

"Minato," Kinuki whispered. "What's up? Where are you going?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" The blonde scolded quietly.

"Uh, I'm just going to take a wiz."

"Uh huh, Sure, with all your armor and weapons on you?" The teen sweatdropped, muttering profanities under his breath. " I know where you're going Kinuki. And I think it's foolish. You can't do it all on your own."

"Wanna bet?" The teen grinned. "I'm only going to destroy two of the camps. It'll be fine. it really won't hurt to try. I'll be back by sunrise."

"Really?" Minato raised an eyebrow. "Multiple stab wounds won't hurt?'"

"You really underestimate me, Minato Namikaze. I feel so betrayed." Kinuki mocked a shocked reaction before quickly turning back towards his initial route.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The sun peered over the light pink clouds, waking the soldiers from their slumber and emitting a new day. Alas, it was not calm or quiet.

"Where is Aka-san!" The Raikage shouted towards his fellow leaders.

"Sir, please calm down. I'm sure he'll be back soon" The future Fourth Kage rubbed the back of his head. "He said he would be back by sunrise."

A breeze flew by within the tent and the three platoon leaders immediately took a fighting stance. Next to them now stood a slightly winded and scratched Kinuki, a man who made fighting off two camps look like a simple jog in the park. He examined the large map on the folded table in front of them, making two big red Xs on two of the four circled camps. The Raikage grabbed the masked man by the collar, pulling him up to his level.

"Yo." The redhead held his hand up in a casual greeting.

"Boy! If you don't tell me the antics of your night I will rip you to shreds!" The man's terrifying glare etched itself into the teen's soul. But he looked almost nonchalant, his hands burrowed deeply into his pockets and his eyes staring right back at the man. It looked as though he just faced the world with his head buried far in the clouds.

"Simple, really lord Raikage. I just made our lives a bit easier, it's not that big of a fuss." The Raikage let the boy down, raising a suspicious eyebrow before laughing hysterically.

"You really did it, didn't you?" Minato's eyes widened. " Impossible. You couldn't have done it on your own."

"You owe me a meal, dear Mina." The teen grinned. "Two of the four camps are in ashes thanks to yours truly. You can thank me later but first, you have to listen to the data I've gathered."

The Raikage was dumbfounded and finally silent for the first time since they met. The trio of leaders most definitely underestimated the other. He looked like a scrawny, measly kid who just became chunnin let alone kill a few dozen people within a few hours. On top of that, not a single droplet of blood could be found on the teen's extravagant exterior. Sure, he had beads of sweat all around his face and his lower half was covered in mud and dirt but that was a given in any battle. But not the battle of the century. The teen continued through the other's silence.

"The leader of the rebellion is none other than Hanzo of the salamander. And I mean The Hanzo of the Salamander; the one who made the three sanin, sanin. The guy who sprays poisonous gas and has a gigantic pet salamander summon. "

"Get on with it, Aka." Minato cut the redhead off, who chuckled and nodded.

"Rumor has it that he is at this camp." He pointed to the middle point in the man. "And he is being manipulated by our elder Danzo."

"The war hawk Danzo?" The blonde inquired. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Danzo?"

"Don't interrupt me. And yes, I'm sure." The teen scolded, pointing into mountain terrain on the map. "Tomorrow will be the perfect time to strike here with our company. At exactly 3:30 pm tomorrow, Hanzo and Danzo will travel to meet with a group called Akatsuki to kill their leader, Yahiko." If we were to prevent Yahiko's death then maybe pervy sage could live his life to the fullest, Kinuki's words were left unsaid.

"With its numbers increasing drastically, it would be a good political decision to have them on our side." Kinuki continued. "We know their plans too, so it'll be as easy as pie."

The leaders all gazed at the teen, surprised at the teen's leadership abilities. It was almost as though he had thought of on the spot plans all the time. As though a Kage were talking to his subordinates. But while it seemed like the other could back off, his commanding gaze showed otherwise. The Raikage nodded, snapping out of his shock and exhibiting his pride once again.

"I agree. Shall we proceed in the same command and platoons?" A interrogated the redheads winning streak, trying to catch him off guard.

"Definitely, our teams are correctly divided by specialization. And might I say, I've grown attached to my platoon." He grinned. "They're not too stupid."

Minato hit the teen on the back of his head. Kinuki immediately began rubbing the forming bump. "Don't even joke about that, Kinuki."

"Fine." The former blonde gave in. "If everything is in order, I want to go see how my little chunnin are doing. It'll be quite funny to watch Obito trying to wrap a wound."

The duo waved towards the other two, heading across the camp to the medical tent.

As the two walked, whispering shinobi watched Kinuki's every move. Somehow, they were able to catch wind of his little "deed." And quickly, his existence became an enigma. With such raw strength and power, a man like him should be in the bingo books by now. But, no matter who the shinobi asked, no one was able to identify the man as a threat. Unless you count the few dozen people he killed and miles he traveled in a few hours. Then maybe, you could count him as a threat to humanity.

Minato put a hand on the teens back, urging him to move faster to the two chunnin he loved so much.

"Kakashi! Rin! Obito!" Kinuki ran through the small drapes that signified a door. "How I've missed you so."

"Kinuki!" Obito yelled in near madness. "Get me out of here!"

The duo struggled to hold back their laughter as they saw the scene. Somehow, Obito had managed to strangle himself with layers of gauze, making him look like a little mummy. On his left stood an erratic Rin, struggling not to yell at her teammate and to his right a white powdery substance covered Kakashi, who muttered profanities under his breath.

Kinuki gave up hope, opting to drop on the floor and hold his sides as he laughed hysterically. Minato just shook his head at the team, chuckling to himself lightly.

"This is impossible." Obito shook his fist in his attempt to free his arms. "I don't understand how 'first aid' works! I mean, how is this that hammer going to test your reflexes? Won't it just snap your knee in half?"

"Obviously not, Obito!" Rin yelled at the younger. "Now, stop moving and I'll cut the tape off."

Obito stopped moving momentarily, closing his eyes in a panic of being cut himself.

"There." The young girl announced to the Raven. "You're free!"

"Please let me be free of this stupid child," Kakashi mumbled a soft prayer. "Please, Kami. If I get flour thrown at me one more time I will go crazy."

Kinuki began to regain his composure. "Do I even want to know?"

"No!" The trio answered immediately, causing the redhead to lose it once again.

"Obito." Minato scolded. "Your job is very important. You should take it seriously. Tomorrow, hundreds of soldiers may be flying in near-death conditions and it'll be your job to save them. You won't have the time to complain then."

"Fine, sensei." The younger gave in, picking up the first aid case and thrusting it towards Rin. His eyes sparkled with childlike curiosity. "Teach me your ways, Rin."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Halt," Former Naruto Uzumaki announced to the platoon just before the end of the line of trees. Bellow them, platoon four gathered as well. Minato gave the teen a nod, giving him the silent 'we're ready.' With the signaling of a hand, his platoon of shinobi sprinted in front of Minato's, jumping over stones as they were pelted with heavy droplets of rain.

In the distance, Kinuki heard the familiar scream of agony from a fellow redhead. It became all too clear that they were too late. With two strong jumps, the whiskered teen saw a depressing scene that could cause even a grown man to cry.

From above, Danzo watched as Nagato impaled his best friend in the gut with unbearable regret in his eyes. A purple-haired beauty curled up on herself to the far left of the scene as she cried out to her leader, restlessly trying to break free of the strong restraints given to her by none other than Danzo of the Salamander.

Kinuki immediately jumped into action, unsheathing his sword in the blink of an eye and springing towards the dozens of men behind Danzo. The former blond slashed at about ten shinobi before the members of his and Minato's platoon arrived, overwhelming Hanzo with his numbers.

Danzo spotted Minato and shouted ferociously. "Minato! What is all this?"

"What are you blind?" Kinuki mocked. "It's impossible really, Danzo. You know, with that Sharingan of yours?"

"Sharingan?" The elder veteran laughed. "Do I look like an Uchiha to you?"

Kinuki thrust his sword towards the man and while the man clearly had the reflexes to dodge, he was unable to avoid its sharp blade cutting the bandages off his face. The bandages unraveled slowly and once all the gauze finally reached the ground, the men were shocked to see a blood-red eye, staring intently at the redhead. To his demise, the teen did not crumble to the ground or even react in any way. He simply laughed back at the Warhawk.

"Don't even try, I have long been immune to the Sharingan." He bared his sharp teeth to the man. "Danzo, you just ruined one of the best relationships of the century. And If you think you're going to get away with it, you better think twice."

"You just placed a death sentence upon yourself and all those here, boy." The elder chuckled, pointing his sword right back at the teen.

As the madness around them continued to grow, the future Kage dodged the upcoming barrage of attacks from the man, jumping back every so slightly to throw kunai at the other. Swiftly, the elder blocked the attempt with his sword, jumping to the left to avoid another. The teen lunged at the other, parrying the male's sword towards the opposite direction before impaling the man in the shoulder.

Kinuki turned and slashed at another while the individual fell into a state of shock, gripping his shoulder and breathing heavily. The elder's vision blurred, the only thing he was able to distinguish was the bright red hair and purple ringed eyes of an incoming male.

"Universal Pull."

The Warhawk was thrown into the air, pushed towards Kinuki who gutted the man. From behind him emerged another redhead, his furious purple eyes shaking the veteran to his core. The elder shakily pushed himself to his feet, his hands moving quickly to form a wide array of seals.

"Katon: Fireball jutsu!" The man blew out a massive fireball, burning everything in its path.

"Blocking technique;" Nagato formed a large barrier around the two. "Absorption Seal!"

The fire quickly dispersed around the duo. This time, Kinuki transported his physical body behind the raven with a single hand seal. In his past place stood a clone which went unnoticed by the elder.

Kinuki stuck his chakra infused feet onto a branch, allowing Nagato to let out an 'Almighty push' before slashing the Warhawk through the chest as he flew towards him. The teen dropped next to the now-dead Danzo and began scavaging the man for parts. He quickly took out the mans Sharingan, sealing it in his forearm before urging the other Uzumaki towards the opposite side of the clearing.

The battlefield was scattered with bodies. Some dead, other's just tired and wounded. They thrust forward quickly towards the purple beauty, not stopping for a person's cries or whimpers. It made the Akatsuki member sick to his stomach.

"Who even are you?" He asked the masked man from behind. "Why are you helping us?"

"I'm Aka, I guess." Kinuki chuckled. "It's a name that I never choose so don't judge me for it. Our initial goal was not to help you but to defeat the rebelling shinobi of Kusa. So we're fighting for the sake of peace. Although helping you is a plus, Nagato of the Rinnigan."

"Peace only brings along foolishness and thoughtlessness." The older stated bluntly. "How do I know you won't stab me in the back?"

"Because I respect you." Kinuki grinned, making the other crunch his face together. His answer was just unbelievable. But, despite this, he trusted the teen. He acted almost exactly like Yahiko.

Yahiko... he was dead now. And he had been the one who killed him. His hands would forever be tainted by his best friend's blood. The sad face his leader made as he killed etched into the boy's soul. Carving itself deep within his heart.

But Nagato above all else was not prepared to see the scene in front of him.

Shinobi of all ages and sizes laid all around the now grassy field. All of the men were foaming at the mouth with eyes rolled back into their heads. A small red line was the only evidence of any attack. The clearing was filled with the stench of a burning corpse or even moldy cheese. He gagged, expecting the other to do the same. But, his new comrade didn't look affected in the slightest. It was as though he had seen the exact say scene hundreds of times before. Which he, as much as he didn't want to believe, knew deep down that his subconscious was correct.

"Minato!" The teen gasped, rushing towards the fallen other. Minato was coughing ferociously, clutching his heart as he gasped for air. He must have been poisoned. Before he was able to get to the blond, however, a certain salamander blocked him entirely. He swung his Kusarigama at the teen, forcing the other to jump back towards Nagato.

"Why, hello there." The male greeted the newcomer, catching the blade by its chain. "Are you here to join the party?"

"Why, yes." Kinuki mocked. "I guess so."

Hanzo grinned at the teen, to which the other mirrored back. They stuck at each other hard; his Watanabe against his kusarigama. They fought fiercely, every strike met with either a dodge or a perry. But, neither one of them was able to even graze each other.

Nagato took this distraction to get to his teammate. Slowly, he cut the shaking girl free, hugging her strongly as she wracked with sobs.

"Hey." He whispered gently into her hair. "Konan, you're safe now."

"N-Nagato," Konan muttered. "He's dead, isn't he?"

The redhead squeezed the girl tightly. He was still in denial. Yahiko was his best friend. He would've killed his friend for life even if it meant killing himself. So, why is it that when it came down to it, did he truly killed him. He actually killed Yahiko. With no other hand than his own.

Kinuki blocked an incoming strike from the duo. Propelling his body up the tree, bouncing off of the hard bark when he saw Hanzo close enough. He slashed at the man's head with one hand while thrusting his fist into the man's stomach at the same time. The salamander staggered, letting out an involuntary gasp of air.

Kinuki used this time to kick the man in the face, only to have his foot grabbed by the man and flung across the clearing and into a tree. The teen groaned, watching with blurry vision as the other stomped toward his, releasing his chain and letting it drag across the ground. With one hefty strike, the man threw the blade of the Kusarigama at the stunned male. It was only when the blade was about two inches away from his abdomen did the teen throw himself to the side, allowing the weapon to graze his arm in its path.

As Kinuki made his way to the muddy grass, a gigantic lavender salamander appeared in the clearing, opening its mouth to release the final blow.

Now, with poison slowly making its way around his body, Kinuki only had two options. He could either (a) grab Minato and flash the fuck out of there, leaving the others to fend for themselves against the atrocious reptile or (b) use Kurama's chakra against the foxes will. In his mind, this choice was a no brainer.

'Kurama-.' The redhead chimed in his mindscape.

"No."

'Oh, come on.' Kinuki whined at his residence short answer. 'Just a little bit?'

"No."

'Would you rather us die by the hands of an amphibian?' The fox fell silent.

"Fine. You better not lose, mutt."

The teen felt his entire body warm with Kurama's chakra. Small bubbles scabbed over his wounds, healing them at an abnormal rate. His animal instincts sharpen, allowing the redhead to avoid the incoming gas that came from the salamander's mouth.

Kinuki rushed towards the future fourth Hokage, he clocked him in what little chakra Kurama had given him and dragging him towards the closest safe point. He watched as Nagato swiftly picked drowsy Konan, small papers fell off the girl's head as he jumped to a high tree just above the gas.

"Almighty push!" A wave of wind pushed the poisonous gas back towards the other, giving Kinuki a chance to flash behind the man and stab him in the back of his ribcage.

Hanzo groaned, allowing the salamander to dispell and leaving him just barely standing on the ground. He coughed out remnants of blood, digging into his trench coat and swiftly pulling out a green vial. Kinuki prepared once again for an all-out attack, only for the vial to be thrown in his face. He quickly caught it before it hit the ground.

"The antidote." He said shortly. "I won't meddle in your business anymore. You have earned my respect.."

"Aka."

"Aka!" Kinuki spun around to face the booming voice, fully expecting an ambush. Instead, he got the hunk of junk, A, running towards him from across the chaos.

When the teen turned back towards Hanzo, he was gone. He shrugged. Future Hanzo wasn't much of a talker either. He jumped back to the branch where a pale and wheezing Minato laid.

He scanned the blond for further injuries, thrusting the lid of the small vial open and pouring the liquid into his mouth once he found a minuscule scratch at the bed of his knee. Minato drank it without a choice, gulping the thick liquid down swiftly as his breath began to even out.

"So, that the famous gold cloak, huh?" Minato winced. "They were right, it was pretty cool."

He began to sit up before quickly being pushed back to the ground once again.

"Don't move."

The older processed the situation instantly. "Kinuki, you were poisoned too, weren't you?"

"No." The teen grinned through the soft pain in his arm. "I'm fine."

"Kinuki." He warned.

"It's just a graze."

"Kinu-"

"Aka!" The Raikage rushed towards the duo, raising a fist. "We did it, man."

The teen hit the knuckle with his own. The man didn't have a scratch on him. The only unusual thing was the bits of rubble all over his uniform. But that wasn't important. No, what was important right now was that B totally copied the fist bump from A. Or was it the other way around? Was B even alive yet? It seems he never did catch the 8th jinkuriki's age or did he and he just didn't remember?

"How many casualties?"

"About a dozen shinobi from Iwa and Kusa. But other than that, the leaders are dispersed and the rebellion is over. We got our revenge. Although, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as I hoped." The man grimaced. "It seems that you held up your end of the deal."

The redhead took a deep breath, looking around. "And the alliance?"

"It can continue. I don't know who the leader of Kusa is now, however."

"Its delegate was already chosen. Sad to say, but his country will continue to thrive without him."

The clouds covered the falling sun, the daylight slowly faded to black before the shinobi were able to make it back to the camp. Kinuki gave the two remaining Akatsuki members a hug, one of which, of course, protested, before commanding the troop back to the camp. They traveled in complete darkness and silence, the only noise was the occasional sounds of footsteps splashing against the muddy earth.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The four platoons made hast towards the medical tent as soon as they reached the camp. The majority of the troops while not dead were severely injured. Danzo's men were erratic, most of them using artificial drugs in battle in order to keep of with the pace of his leadership. At least it provided yet another reason to disband Root. 

Kinuki rested his head against a large oak tree. He sipped a small chunk of his soup before glancing at the silver-headed jonin in front of him. Thankfully, Kakashi remained in the back for most of the battle and was able to avoid any physical damage. But Kinuki knew the psychological damage was unbearable to the younger. Watching hundreds of dead bodies drop before your eyes was mentally scarring. And if anyone knew, it was Kinuki. He still had visions of his time in the war even when the brunt of it was over. He wasn't in a time of peace but at least he wasn't in a time of mass destruction either. 

"I got you a gift, Kakashi." He smiled, unsealing the jar where he placed Danzo's eye. "It's a replacement eye. You can't be a shinobi with only one eye, you know."

The jonin's eyes brightened. "Thank you." 

The older nodded in response. He stored the Sharingan once again. "How are you?"

"I'm ok, I guess. I didn't really do anything, though." 

"Of course you did something, Kakashi. We couldn't have done this without the help of every hand that volunteered. And you were one of them Kakashi, thank you. Any plans when you get back to Konoha?" The silver-haired teen stiffened, avoiding Kinuki's eye contact. "It looks like you got something weighing on your mind." 

"I-" He stuttered. "I actually want to join the ANBU once I get back. With you, you know." 

Kinuki hummed in response. "Why?"

"Because it's really cool and really educational?"

"And?" He urged him on. 

"And then I could get away from Obito and Rin."

The older stiffened. This wasn't the response he was expecting. He had done everything in his power to steer Kakashi away from this depression but he was in the same position as his sensei was at his age. "And why would you want that? They really love you, you know."

"I'm not sure. I guess I feel as though if I stay close to someone, they're going to die." He paused for a second. "Like my father did." 

Only then did Kinuki understand the extent of the younger's pain. This Kakashi was as good at hiding emotions as his future counterpart was. The Kakashi of the future only revealed information when he was at his most vulnerable. The only mention of his father occurred when the duo conversed at a hospital after an attack on the Kage tower. He was under so many meds that he read the entire Icha-Icha book out loud in a single day. Did he mention that half the time, he was reading it to a bunch of toddlers? 

"Your father's death was not your fault." He answered firmly, he was beyond enraged at this point. "Kakashi, people die. It's just apart of life. You have to accept that. Your father died to preserve his honor and he left his legacy in your hands. You are a jonin now, in the shinobi world, that means you are an adult. And let me tell you a secret, you get to make choices. Opportunities and responsibilities will come flying by and as an adult, you have to depend on your every decision with two things; your heart and your mind." 

He paused briefly, redirecting his gaze towards the fire. "I had to make a decision like that today, you know. I could abandon the company to fend for themselves and live life normally or take a risk and save our team at the possible cost of my life. As an ANBU, you would have to make these decisions every day. Would you really be up to that?" 

The teen fell silent. He watched as the other's fiery hair and eyes burned in passion. If joining the ANBU allowed him to be by Kinuki's side, he would join in a heartbeat. 

"Yes."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Miles away, an elder raven sat in the middle of a battlefield. Raindrops numbed his entire body as he opened his eyes. 

The entire world seemed to freeze in fear of the man, releasing its trembles in thunders of light. Dark crimson eyes stared back at the cold sky, its iris shifting before submerging itself with black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back my fellow readers, it is nice to see you again. It is currently 12 in the morning and I'm v tired but I have so much to say. This book has recently gotten 150+ reads! That is absolutely amazing in under a month. In celebration, I have made my longest chapter yet. A 7,200-word extravaganza. There is no gap between Fanfiction.net updates today and wattpad updates today because we have also reached a milestone of 25+ followers so go check it out if you're interested in faster, future updates! 
> 
> Can I also point out that Autocorrect is constantly changing Kinuki to Kinky. So it'd be like, "Kinky crossed the clearing, his locks waving wildly behind him." Just a fun fact. 
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


	6. Jiraiya the Gallant | Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hello! How's it going, you amazing souls? We are back once again and ready for action so let's do this!
> 
> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> 'Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..."
> 
> "Past memory..."
> 
> Enjoy!

Dozens of civilians gathered in the iconic planes that engrossed the Kusa country. Not a word was uttered between the people, all eyes laying on the coffin that shone brightly against the sunny clearing. In it, lay their precious leader of Kusa of thirty years; killed by a meager sickness in travel.

The elder leader had been reduced to a mere corpse, his pale and slender form covered in white robes. Today was the day of his burial and regret was all that Kinuki could feel.

Only twice in his life, had he been able to attend such burial. Those two were for none other than Kiba and his beloved Jiji; one of which he was able to see once again in his lifetime just recently. The male spaced out against the few words of condolences the people began to share.

Kiba, the mutt smelling and stubborn Inuzuka, had died not long after Hinata. He was broken after the love of his life died and gave up his life easily after seeing no light at the end of the tunnel. The last major push was the death of Akamaru, his beloved dog, and best friend. The two were family in all but blood and species. They were born together, grew up together and eventually died together.

He became depressed, dragging out each day in his lonesome house, with no one to push him back up. No matter what Naruto tried, he has been always driven everyone else away. But, once, just before the death of his friend, he was able to talk to the guilt-tripped and lonely canine.

No matter what he tried to do to convince himself, that day was not pretty.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Naruto knocked on the birch door of the Inuzuka household, listening silently for the movement of its one and only resident. Beyond the door, he could hear the whimpers and cries of a childhood friend, cries of guilt and torment. This was the only signal he needed to enter.

Without warning, he took out a kunai and swiftly knocked the handle off the door, allowing it to fling towards the front yard. He shoved the door open, cracking it slightly as he made his way towards Kiba's chakra signature.

The brunette was sat on a large dog bed at the side of his own, in his arms, he held a bleeding canine, his ears and eyes rotting at its edges. Kiba looked up once with red and beady eyes, before lowering his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." The blond watched his slender and overburdened canine friend crumble into himself, releasing hard sobs that echoed throughout the room. He smiled a pointy but weak grin at the other. He pressed the bloody dog against his chest, the dogs rotting stench filling the room as the boy let out a giggle.

"Kiba, what happened?" The younger panicked, he couldn't handle another friend dead. No, not yet. Not after he lost Hinata just the other week.

"The world has cursed me. I bring pain and misery to all those around me." He blanked as if stating the obvious. "Hinata, Akamaru, they're both dead because of me. If they died, why shouldn't I? I just want to be numb. It hurts so much."

Naruto fell short. How could he justify the feeling he felt himself? He would be nothing more than a hypocrite.

Instead, he bent down to cradle the sobbing teen, releasing a few small 'it's ok' to reassure both himself and Kiba as they tried to release every ounce their sorrow.

"Please don't do this." He heard his friend whisper into his shirt. "Don't act like you care."

That was the last day Naruto saw his friend alive.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Kinuki-san." He could hear Rin's voice drag him away from his friend. She tugged at the sleeves of his uniform, glancing between her team and Kinuki with clear worry in her eyes. Once they finally retained eye-contact, she pulled him down and placed a cool hand on his forehead.

"Kinuki, are you alright?"

The teen whipped some sweat from his forehead, looking around the clearing to see it empty, the only remaining visitors being his ANBU team and team Minato.

He smiled sadly at the girl. "Yes, Rin, I'm fine. Just, reminiscing on the past, you know."

"Must've been some memory," Minato commented. "You blanked for a solid hour. We're heading back soon. "

The redhead stretched, turning towards his own team and making sure he had all his belongings. "Why aren't we going now?"

"We are." Mouse replied, pointing towards the chunnin team. "They're leaving in a few hours."

The blond jonin rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness. "We kinda neglected our mission by joining you on the expedition. We have to explain to him why we were gone all this time."

"Well then, I'll see you four later?" The team nodded, slowly inching away from the ANBU. Kinuki smiled brightly at the team. "Good luck."

For a while, the group of shinobi didn't speak as the hours passed by in travel. The sun shone brightly above them despite the tense air and birds never neglected singing a cheerful tune. But the others still refused to speak. He presumed Mouse was the culprit. She had probably still withheld all the regret and vengeance about the mission the entire time.

So she refused to speak. And since she refused to speak, frog and sloth did too.

During the silence, however, he was thrown a small scroll by sloth. It was clear to him that behind the slow mammal's mask he was smiling but to others, his presence wasn't as pretty.

He opened the scroll swiftly and silently; trying to keep the silence for as long as possible. It wasn't that he wanted the team to talk. No, he himself was trying to deal with his pent-up emotions as well.

For the majority of the war, his hindering determination and doubt lead him to lock up most of his unwanted memories. And as those emotions slowly began to filter in, he had no idea how to deal with the sere veracity of it all.

It was painful, no doubt about it. Seeing all his friends die again and again threw him for a loop. He could talk to Jiji about it, of course. But the elder was more likely to share his own feeling than give sentiment. And he didn't want to feel alone anymore. He was getting tired.

He was shredded between continuing on or giving up entirely. Would it all be worth it in the end? Would he die without knowing whether or not he saved his friends?

But as the teen opened the scroll, his values revisited him. He was Kinuki. A man held to the highest regard by now two villages and he was slowly growing onto the citizens of his own village. He negotiated a treaty between Iwa, Kusa, and Konoha by his actions rather than some minuscule words.

In the scroll, A signed a pledge of nonaggression to Konoha in turn of helping them gain revenge on the shinobi who killed their leader. He praised the redhead, asking the Kage how he managed to withhold a wild card for so long. The said redhead smiled in both delight and confusion. But nonetheless, the war was over. He could finally focus on improving on the inside rather than the outside for now.

"Kinuki." The teen turned his head towards his leader. "We're setting up camp."

He nodded his head, jumping from the branches and onto the soft grass below them. Even after hours of travel, they were still stuck behind the Fire's border.

Kinuki unsealed and placed a large square seal on the floor, pushing chakra into it while mumbling a fire jutsu. He quickly made a fire out of the single seal, much to the surprise of the others, and set down his sword to the far right of the camp.

For a while, they bathed in the cool air and chirping crickets but as soon as Kinuki glanced at the girl in front of him, he promptly stood again and sat next to her.

"Hey." He said shortly to the mouse. "How are you?"

She glanced at him before averting her gaze towards the fire. Kinuki sweatdropped; he was being ignored. 

"I know you want to be alone. I get it. But, Sloth told me about Bunny and I was wondering if you wanted to talk about it." The girl continued to ignore the other, but by her tensed stature, even the mention of the boy saddened her.

"Listen, I know you want revenge. In all honesty, I have such a long list of people I would love to get revenge on that it would take years to even find them all again. Heck, I've taken revenge on a couple of people and loved every second of it. But, I've learned something from a friend long ago."

The older of the two finally gave in. She looked at the redhead in fury and in some weird way, disgust. "Don't you dare compare your weird retaliation pranks to revenge. A gruesome rebel killed a young boy -who had just barely hurt a fly in his life- just because he thought a tiny kid killed his wife. Do you think his death is justified enough?"

"Hadn't hurt a fly in his life?" Kinuki raised a brow. "A young boy who never hurt a fly isn't an ANBU; I think you misunderstood. Mouse, we in ANBU, are all killers. Every single shinobi in this task force has committed their lives to protect others. Now, I'm going to tell you the exact same thing that I told Sloth. Bunny died for the sake of others. He died committed to his job. In my past line of work, dying for your country is a sign of pride and honor."

The young girl snarled at the other, opening her mouth only to be shut down. Kinuki continued.

"I don't know what your definition of pride is or anything about you for that matter, but living not knowing if you'll see tomorrow clarifies a few things. When you live your life on the frontlines of battle, death is inevitable. It can take you or just about everyone around you. But rather than killing yourself for them, you should live for them. Continue what they died for. But if you continue to wreck your brain for any possibility of justification, you're going to end up taking your own life after blaming yourself. You can't do that mouse. You have so many people who care for you."

Mouse stayed silently, allowing the words to be engraved into her soul. "How about you, Kinuki?"

"Huh?"

"Do you have loved ones back home?"

In truth, he had no idea himself. What did home mean anymore? Was his home in the present or the future. Did his friends continue to love him after death and abandonment?

" Yes." He thought for a while. "I mean, no? Well, it depends."

The girl raised a brow. "What?"

"I guess I don't?" The teen himself was confused beyond belief. "I told you, I know all this from first hand, right? Well, all my friends have been killed in front of me over time. Every last person I knew and loved is dead. But, does that necessarily mean that they don't still love me after death? I'm not sure of it myself. But I know that revenge doesn't change anything, Mouse, that's the whole point of the conversation. I'm sure Bunny loved all of you but at one point, you gotta let go."

They sat there for a while, not moving, not speaking. Just allowing themselves to stare into the depths of the fire until eventually, she spoke once again.

"Ok."

"Ok?" Kinuki questioned the girl.

"Ok."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A few days after Naruto visited Kiba, he visited again with a pack of bread and soup, only to find the canine dead with his loyal companion rotting in his arms. The young boy sat in the same place even after the blond left. He didn't move to eat, drink water or even sleep. He just sat there until his final breath, in the dark, all alone.

The blond laid in front of the two a while, weeping and retching at the horrid stench. He didn't want to accept the death of his last childhood friend. A friend who threw himself out the window with him in order to escape the wretched lectures of the academy.

They were found later by Kakashi, who never thought the young teen would ever even dream of being late to a meeting. Kiba was taken away by the authorities and Kakashi just sat next to the hiccuping blond for hours.

Slowly but surely, the silvered headed Kage was able to ease the teen out of the canine's filthy room. He vividly remembers talking to the man with heartfelt emotions. Something he wasn't aware the older was capable of displaying.

"Everyone dies." The kage started. "You can either run from it or accept it. But in the end, it will always catch up to you."

The younger was unresponsive, opting to glare at the earth for taking his friends away yet again.

"But." He continued. " You can always make the most of the life you have left. You can continue to love and dream and fly for as long as you have hope. I know I'm not the best role model for it but, you get the point."

The blond continued to silently listen to his sensei. He glanced at the older, watching as he fiddled with his gloves.

"When Rin died, I finally realized that rather than living my life the way my father would've wanted, I immersed myself in everything he didn't want. Following the rules by the books, hiding emotions, everything that my old man wanted so desperately for me to forget, submerged to the surface anyway. When I realized how wrong I was and how I needed a change, I began to live in the present instead of the past. To live for a new tomorrow and better today."

Kakashi made a fist over his own heart, taking a breath before continuing again. "You can mourn and sob all you want but eventually, you have to continue on. They would've wanted you to live on for the sake of everyone who loves you if not for yourself. Kiba gave up hope but that doesn't mean you have to."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The quad eventually made it to the wonderful village that was their home, allowing them to do as they pleased for a solid month before returning to missions again. The Yamanaka returned a few days after they did, screaming and shouting at being left behind. But, faster than his anger arose, he swallowed his pride, going home to his worried wife.

Kinuki joined ANBU team 005, after successfully cheering Mouse up, he was accepted almost immediately. Anyone who was able to deal with the women's short temper was worthy of joining their team.

The redhead was in the library before he was once again summoned to the Hokage tower, for what he presumed to be another mission. He bowed as he flashed to the room, sensing everyone in the area out of habit.

Oh, how wrong he was. As soon as he made eye contact with the long white-haired Sanin, he flashed behind the Kage, hiding behind the powerful figure like a child. The elder laughed heartily at his student's stumped expression.

"Kinuki," Sarutobi called only to be answered by a hindering hum. "This is Jiraiya, my student. He wanted to meet the man who was responsible for the alliance that he and his men weren't able to accomplish. But, by the looks of it, you aren't up for it?"

"Ya, no, bye, see ya later." He attempted to run away, only to be caught by his collar by the sannin.

"This twirp managed to strike an alliance with the great Onoki, huh." His voice flew deep within the teen's soul, encasing him in emotions he had withheld for years. A small tear fell from his eye, followed by another and another. The teen threw himself at his godfather, giving him a hug which the older reluctantly gave back.

"His some kind of Nut job." Kinuki pulled away. For a moment, he could feel Naruto tug at his brain, trying to get him to enjoy the moment. He was trying desperately to contain all the thoughts and emotions he wanted to tell the older. He gaped his mouth open and shut like a fish, trying to listen in on the words Jiraiya spoke to his Kage.

"He's a young, pure and traumatized boy, don't contaminate him."

"Jiji," He finally let out a groan. "Your student is just a perv. Why does it matter who did it? We're all part of the same village?"

"Because my spies have been working on getting Iwa to withdraw from Kusa for months. And you pest did it in a few days! I would've thought you to be some practical genius but by the looks of it, you just bet it all on luck, didn't you?"

Kinuki did not appreciate being downgraded. "And you bet your entire life on luck, you pervy sage! I'll have you know that I worked twice as hard as you did in your entire life." He combatted. "You should be more appreciative, we saved two of your students in Ame as well."

"What did you save them from?" His godfather laughed. "A punny bug?"

"Fucking Hanzo the salamander and Danzo the elder!"

The room fell silent. In Jiraiya's lifetime, he had only faced a couple of absolutely terrorizing enemies with his team. Would he ever face Hanzo again, had he had the chance? No, no way in hell. Would he even think to snap at the leaf's prized Warhawk? Never in his life. So how in the world did this little twerp face the two he hated most?

On top of that, he faced the absolutely terrifying Hanzo the salamander. A man who nearly killed him and Tsunade when they tried to fight him months ago. He shuttered.

"Did you really?" He raised a brow. "How are you not dead?"

The boy grinned. "I'm just that good."

"Get back to the point, Jariya." The elder Kage let out a puff of smoke. As much as the two would never admit, they were quite similar in many ways. For example, how easily they get off-topic and thrown into arguments. And while Jariya had a talent for conveying his passions through speech, Naruto was only able to do so through his actions. But without a doubt, both would come to be some generally terrifying leaders.

"Right, Kinuki-san. This does not pertain to what you did in any way, do you understand?" The younger nodded. "Kumogakure and Iwagakure have broken their own alliance and continued war tactics against each other. Apparently, Iwa's advisor had fought against the new Kage and his team before committing self-termination. However, Onoki thought the Kage had purposely killed his advisor in order to hinder his villages recovery. The war has not ended."

The teen drooped to the floor, the two elders watching the young man have a mental catastrophe.

To Jiraiya, it couldn't be clearer that all the young boy wanted was a finish line. A time of peace and prosperity. Or even more so, a person to lean on. Somehow, it looked like his version of war had been longer than his own. Almost as if he'd been waiting for his final breath for years.

"It was all useless. It will never end, will it?"

"Now, don't say that Kinuki," Sarutobi reassured the boy. "Konoha isn't in the root of the problem. We're safe for now."

"We're in an alliance with Iwa and have a non-aggression treaty with Kumo. If we get involved, we break the treaty. If we don't, we break the alliance. Any way you slice it, we're fucked."

The elder's glanced at each other, holding their gazes long enough to convey all their thoughts and feelings. Jiraiya spoke first.

"Kinuki, you have to understand that none of this is your fault. The only one to blame is hatred itself. Even I can tell that it's spreading. I wanted to do something about it, but I just don't know what. But, look at you! Taking on a life-threatening task for the sake of the village. I believe, that someday the day will come when people truly understand one another! If I can't find the answer, it will be up to you to do it!" Jiraiya took a breath. "Something about you, kid, just shouts action and stupidity. You have to do something with it! No matter how reckless or stupid it is."

With the remainder of his barrier shattered, Kinuki shunshined out of the room, blasting his emotions in the face by running away from the man who caused it. All he wanted to do was forget. But, somehow, he just couldn't. This version of his sensei, his godfather, had the same goals and ambitions as his own sensei. What did that mean? Would he have to live the continuation of his life knowing that all his friends are the same just unknowing of his existence? They wouldn't come up to him and greet with a smile.

They wouldn't know Naruto, they would know him as Kinuki. The stubborn and silly redhead.

He ended up on the top of the Kage mountain, using Sarutobi's spikey head as a substitute for his father's head. The teen watched the blistering stars, imagining his friends watching down just above the clouds above him.

"Yo." He heard his godfather pop up behind him. And in the heat of the moment, he spilled every last bit of his brain to the man. His past, his ambitions, his relations, his goals. And for some reason, all the elder did give was a nod now and then while listening to the youngers sorrow. It was only when Kinuki finished did he finally respond in any way.

He leaned in and hugged the young teen. Allowing him to pour out all his emotions with the winds gentle push and the warmth of family. The moon came out from behind the clouds and the stars continued to shimmer and finally, Kinuki felt that he was going to be ok.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was a bright and sunny day. Birds were chirping, children laughing and genin absolutely annihilating each other at a single word or glance.

The chunnin and jonin of team Minato have recently gone through, what Kinuki called, a murderous phase. Everyone wanted to prove better than the other, despite all being on completely different levels and specialties.

Today was one of the days the now bounty ridden 'Aka' promised to train team Minato. And boy was he wrong to even offer such a thing.

While every teammate was amazing in their own right, they were absolutely awful at working together. With Kakashi throwing kunai at his rivals private at any given moment, he could say that the team acted like a group of professional kindergarteners.

And so, Kinuki came up with the bright idea of a team exercise. Having spares with each other all the while, having one foot duck-taped to another person's foot.

Needless to say, it was awful. Poor Rin was stuck to her dear sensei, who moved at the speed of light and was as tall as a giraffe. Meanwhile, Kakashi and Obito ended up on the floor, panting and muttering profanities under their breaths after walking a few inches.

"It can't be that bad." He laughed at the two rivals. "You have to learn to work together. Like my late sensei always taught me, those who break the rules are scum but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum!"

"Why should I have to work with him?" Kakashi groaned. "I'm leaving the team soon anyway."

"Now, Kakashi." The older mentored. "You have no idea whether or not you'll be accepted into ANBU. It's a harsh world out there, you know. You won't be able to join the field until your immediate supervisor sees you fit after vigorous training. You should practice anything you can for the time being. But right now, you are part of team Minato, so you better start acting like it."

"Fine. " Both boys let out a huff of air, looking away from each other.

"Now." The older clapped his hands together. "If both teams could please follow me, we could finally start the spare."

Eventually, after a few minutes, they were able to meet in the middle, notwithstanding flopping over more than once.

Despite the complications, both teams were able to work together to throw a few punches and kicks at the other. Most of the time, dodging was not an option. Bending even a bit would result in absolute death. But, they progressively got better and better, running together with ease and ducking down so the other could throw a punch. The only problem was small Rin, who genuinely couldn't keep up with her sensei for the life of her.

Surprisingly, it took hours before Kinuki was able to decide on a winner. With it all, it came down to Kakashi and Obito being the winner. Even though they continued to hate each other, with their newfound attack style and remembrance of the other, they proved that they understood each other in battle. On the other hand, Minato forgot about the small girl attached to his calf for most of the fight, resulting in her being thrown across the clearing after he kicked at the two boys.

Currently, Rin was sitting on the ground, trying to contain the remainder of her lunch as the boys broke free of their duct tape.

"Kinuki." Obito groaned. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?" The older laughed. "It's a team training. I use to do it all the time when I was younger."

"How did you even survive?"

Kinuki smiled, he remembered a time when he used to moan and groan on a daily basis. Only, at that time, Sakura had moaned and groaned with him. Always screaming about their sensei's absence or their lack of breakfast.

But, in the end, Kakashi-sensei had taught him more than he could've ever handled at a young age. And so he smiled.

"I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me."

The chunnin looked at the older in amazement. It was Obito who broke the prolonged silence.

"You're like a wise old man!"

"Obito!" Rin hit the raven on the head. "You can't just say things like that."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The world was crying and all Minato could do was wait it out. The training with that often hyperactive redhead was tiresome. Despite it lasting only a couple hours, he just wanted to go home. As much as he dreamed of laying in bed, drinking a steaming cup of tea, he was instead stuck under the hood of an apartment complex, with only a few droplets of rain on his exterior.

The blond eventually decided to wander into the building after hearing strangely familiar cries among one of the apartments. Cries of pure torment and sorrow. Finally, after climbing up to the third floor of the decaying complex and walking past dozens of doors, he reached apartment 1823.

He knocked on the door, hearing frantic movements just beyond the thin walls.

"Hello?" His voice echoed in the hallway, hushed slightly from the raindrops. "Is everything alright in there?"

After not receiving a single response, Minato slammed down hard on the doorknob, kicking the door as hard as he possibly could.

He made his way through the slightly dusty rooms and into the living room. Paint peeled off every corner and the ceiling was filled with cracks and dents at every angle. On the rooms only couch, he found a familiar tossing and turning teen crying his heart out in his sleep.

"Kinuki!" He threw himself towards the redhead. If his cries didn't subside, the poor boy would surely suffocate in his own tears.

"Kinuki!" He shook the boy before being thrown to the ground, kunai at his neck and a teen between his legs. Not a single shine could be found in the whiskered boy's dull eyes, the usual bright blue a mere imitation of its beautiful self. It was only after the younger recognized the familiar fiery blond hair did he release his grasp, standing up only to throw himself back on the couch face first.

"Go away." The redhead mumbled into the couch, releasing another sob into its already wet fabric. Minato's eyes softened. There really was depression deep within the boy's bright heart. He already knew that. As much as Kinuki tried to hide it, it was obvious that he was mentally unstable. In his eyes, he looked as though he lost the whole world twice despite showing such kindness towards absolutely everyone.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The younger heard his future father ask in a hushed tone; almost as if he were talking to a lost child. He sat up slowly, the chairs uncomfortable springs digging into his back. Minato sat next to the teen, wincing slightly before leaning the poor boy into his shoulder.

The redhead's eyes widened but he didn't push the older away. Eventually, he let himself cry into the lean man's shoulder, allowing his burden to be shared with another once again. They didn't speak, but they didn't need to. Minato knew that the young ANBU just needed someone to lean on, someone to hold and comfort him while he was at his most vulnerable.

When his cries subsided, Kinuki glanced at the future blond Kage, his eyes red and twitching. He released a shaky breath before speaking in a soft voice.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Minato." He let another tear fall off his chin and on to his knee. " Everyone close to mean either leaves me or dies. I'm just so tired; so tired. Why do I even try anymore? What's motivating me to continue when I know it'll all be worthless in the end?"

"I don't know." The older admit. "I have no idea."

Kinuki gripped onto his past father's shirt, pushing his head into his chest.

"I lost everyone in my life." He murmured. "I lost my parents on the day I was born, my friends when I was in the war and in the end, was forced to kill the man I called my brother. I came back to Konoha expecting some time to live in peace. Not living in fear every day of what is to happen next. But the longer I live here, the more I realize just how much I was forced to forget when I lost hope."

Minato let out a hum into the boy's hair, silently telling him to continue.

"And I know that eventually, I would be forced to recognize their deaths but its painful. It's so painful, Minato."

Before the younger was able to continue, Minato cut in." Everyone dies, Kinuki. You can either run from it or accept it."

The redhead giggled. "You know, that's funny. My sensei told me the exact same thing once. And I know it's true but I can't help but try to run from that fact for as long as possible, you know? Like what if Rin or Obito or even Kakashi was to die? Wouldn't you want to run from it as long as possible?"

"Sure." The blond admit. "But eventually, I'd have to move on. I'd have to continue their legacy."

And the younger knew that. Heck, he had told Mouse the same thing weeks ago. But, something about hearing it from another reassured him. Kinuki was slowly slipping to sleep on his father's chest.

That was until something crashed through the kitchen's only window.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! Cliffhanger! How's it going guys, hope you all are well! We finally reached chapter 5, what a surprise. On top of that, I managed to update consistently, which is another surprise. I wanted to thank you all once again for the new milestone! We reached 40 followers on fanfiction.net and 200+ reads on Wattpad! You guys are absolutely amazing. Sadly, I was unable to make a lengthy chapter despite the milestone.
> 
> I also wanted to point out that the last part was not a romance MinaNaru, more of a support and comfort father and son moment so please don't take it the wrong way! I am still considering the pairings..
> 
> P.S I became a beta reader on Fanfic.net but that could also pertain to stories on Wattpad as well. So PM me if you're interested. 
> 
> Once again!
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


	7. Peace | Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hello! Welcome back!
> 
> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> 'Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..."
> 
> "Past memory..."
> 
> Enjoy!

The duo froze momentary, watching the dark figure enter nonchalantly through the now shattered window. His gigantic figure blocked most of the moon, leaving the single blond to prepare an attack in the shadows.

As Minato whipped out a kunai, Kinuki sighed, leaning over to the single lamp in the house and flipping the switch swiftly.

"Pervy-sage." The redhead said murderously. "Can you please explain why you had to enter my house through the fucking window?"

"I do have a reason but," The frog sage poked a finger in his ear. "I have the right to enter whenever and wherever I want. You should already know that."

"In the middle of the fucking night?" Kinuki shouted. "You decided to enter through my fucking window at twenty past nine in the afternoon?"

"Yes."

Minato sat listening to their continued rambling silently. He had no idea his sensei was actually acquainted with the new redhead. Kinuki only appeared in the village some time ago- did that mean that Kinuki was truly a past village resident? In truth, he never did buy the teen's alibi. As a child, he was never popular, but, he knew absolutely every face in the village. It just wasn't possible for him to have missed anyone.

"Sensei." He cut off the duo's bickering. "Just how well do you know each other? I've never seen you two together before."

Kinuki quickly spoke before the elder managed to even open his stupid mouth higher than an inch. "We were forced to meet in the Kage's office a few days ago. This doofus was pissed that I managed to strike an alliance so quickly while his spies sat around gathering evidence and doing nothing."

"Sat around doing nothing? Kid, the only one sitting around doing nothing is you!"

"At least my sitting around doing nothing did something!"

"Gaki-"

The future fourth Hokage sighed. He was being replaced by a redhead who appeared out of thin air.

Jiraiya wrapped an arm over the other's shoulder. " We've known each for a few hours and now we're best friends."

The redhead raised a kunai to the man's throat. "Sure, best of friends."

Jiraiya dropped his arm, shivering at the other's killer's intent. Did his future grandson treat him so poorly in his time as well?

"Whatever kid, listen. Sarutobi-sensei summoned you." The man's silver hair shone in the moonlight. "And I've had the pleasure of coming to get you."

The whiskered teen sweatdropped. "You do know that I have an ANBU tattoo right? The old man could just pulse some chakra in my arm and I'd come right away."

"Gaki."

"Senile old man." The younger grumbled. "How are you a profound 'sage'? The only thing I see that is profound is the intense pervyness you bare."

"Oi." Minato interrupted. "He might be pervy but his not that bad.."

Kinuki raised an eyebrow at the other. Sure, the man had his perks but the silver-headed sage was nothing more than his goofy sensei for the majority of his life. He had never seen Jariaya get more serious than the times they went seeking on girls. And even then, the only serious expression he bore was one with intense blush and bitten lips to withhold stupid perverted giggling.

The redhead huffed, putting down his foot. No, he would never be fooled. His sensei might have been great at his prime, but he had stooped very low from that point and it doesn't look like he'll be going back to his old ways anytime soon.

The whiskered teen grabbed the two by their shoulders, quickly using a jutsu to transport them to the Kage's office.

Once they settled onto the hardwood floors out of a flash of red, the two others dropped to the floor, dry heaving their lungs out.

"What the shit Gaki!" The sage managed to gasp out. "Are you trying to split my insides in two or what."

"He never explained how he knows the flying thunder god technique. This looks like an amplified version of it too. It's so fast that our bodies can't handle it like my technique. " Minato eyes brightened like a child. "That is so cool!"

The elderly Kage cleared his throat lightly, turning all eyes back on him.

Kinuki smirked slightly, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry old man, we got sidetracked cause someone-" He glared at the perverted sage. "Broke a hole in my window. Which, mind you, could've been prevented had you called me with the tattoo."

"And what would be the fun in that?" The elder chuckled before smiling brightly at the young blond. "Ah, Minato. How have you been? I hope Kinuki hasn't hurt your children too much. Hell, the training he did was heard all around the village. The ANBU were tempted to go out and watch the destruction."

"I'm just fine, thank you for asking Hokage-sama." The future Kage bowed. "As for my team, they haven't ever been happier. Kinuki-san managed to force himself into the team as an honorary member."

Sarutobi let out a puff of air. "Force himself in the team, huh? Well Kinuki, you've been working hard, haven't you?"

The teen grinned, raising a hand in accomplishment. "It's not as bad now. They're all alive and well and although it took a while, I've learned to accept it."

Minato frowned. Working hard? Was all that time they spent together just a test? Well, maybe it wasn't? Just moments ago, the younger clung on for dear life as he sobbed his guts out. There was no way that the scene wasn't genuine.

"Alright." The elder decided. "To the reason I've summoned you here."

The man pulled out a small photograph the size of his hand and placed it facing towards the two teens. The photograph itself held the picture of a young orange headed man with metal prongs coming out of various parts of his nose, mouth, and ears. But most importantly, his eyes bore the dark purple circles of the rinnegan. "Do you recognize this man?"

"Pein." The redhead seethed. "He's back already."

"Back?" Minato questioned. "What do you mean by back?"

" Not important right now." Kinuki waved him off. "What about him, old man?"

"This young man was spotted a few days ago at the wreckage of a few dozen trade caravan we have with Uza. He was accompanied by a young girl with purple hair."

"Konan." He breathed out. "But I don't understand. Just a few weeks ago we fought together in the rain. Why would he strike out now?"

The teen stopped for a moment and one fact became blatantly clear. Yahiko. Yahiko was dead and would always be dead. Pein was created to betray those thoughts, to take revenge on those who killed his best friend without ever truly acknowledging his death.

Despite Sasuke being known for revenge his entire life, it was Hinata who taught him that revenge wasn't worth it in the slightest. Her entire clan thrived to take revenge on those who killed their new leader. But no, it wasn't the young heiress who died even after proving herself countless times of being worthy as a head. It was Negi. Negi had died at the hands of a reincarnated Fourth Mizukage, a young Jinchūriki of the three tails. Yagura was nothing short gruesome and straight-up uncontrollable with the young Hyuga head, torturing him until his last breath.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was a dark and depressing day and no matter how much the young Kage tried, the spirits of his teammates could not be lifted. 

The now one year Kage of Konoha was part of the mission to save his best friend, pushing himself to his limits even though he fought in the front lines only days prior. He needed to get back to his people, but he was not a man with words. No, he couldn't always sway the crowd with a single action. He was a shinobi on the battlefield. Throwing himself into any danger if it meant to save a friend. 

At this point, Naruto was beginning to feel hopeless. His friends were slowly dying in front of him and he could do nothing but hope for the best while sending his most trusted to areas that fell into the war the worst. 

But he must have been at his lowest when he saw his best friend for the first time in months, his twig-like body hanging from the wall in shackles. His entire body was deformed, bones sticking out of his body and visible gashes on his torso allowed blood to flow freely onto the cold stone floor. His hair meshed with dry blood and dirt so that his fair locks of brown were no longer visible. 

The majority of the team crumbled to the floor, dry heaving as they heard the others freeze in their feet. The only two who continued to move towards the corpse were Naruto and Hinata. The blond released the older from the wall swiftly with his Katana, slicing through the chains in utter rage. Negi dropped forward into his arms, his bones hitting roughly against his own. Hinata walked silently towards her cousin, dropping down to where Naruto placed the crippled man. 

"Negi." She lot a few tears drift down her face, lifting his head onto her lap, stroking the dirty locks in her hands. "It's not true. You're not dead. You can't be dead, Negi. You have an entire clan to lead. 

It took hours before the team was finally able to leave but this time, the only female in the group was filled with rage. Her once soft and gentle eyes were hard and stern, filled with fire as she made her way towards the only chakra signatures. Her feet echoed throughout the vast hallways of the building, her fist radiating bright purple chakra. Behind her, followed the rest of the team of jonin, utterly terrified to face the young girls' fury. 

She could not accept it. She would not accept it. Her cousin was strong, he would not be killed by a mere Kage. He was just resting; yes, he was resting right now. 

The girl slammed through the doors, slashing with her palms at any men in the room as she made her way towards the grand hardwood door in the middle. 

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled, running towards the girl. But he was too late. A long metal chain stabbed through the large door, it sharp end thrust into the young heiresses spine. Rage was her downfall. The passionate and kind jonin now dead by the hands of the third Jinchūriki. But not before she could spread her wisdom. 

She spoke softly and with no fear. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Kinuki!" Sarutobi cut off the younger's thoughts. The redhead flung his face from the ground, sweat dripping down his chin. "Are you alright? You were out of it for a moment.

"I just fine," he gasped out. "You were saying?" 

"I said I'm not sure. The trio were 'unpredictable' by the words of the men. I wanted to send you to check it out but a few hours ago I received intel on some worse matters."

Sarutobi took a long drag of his pipe, allowing the smoke to resonate throughout the room. "You know about the falling out between Kumo and Iwa, do you not?" The redhead nodded. "They have continued warfare in the east. There are battalions upon battalions fighting upon the mountains in Kumo. The problem between this is that while we have claimed to be neutral, A is asking for support. He is having trouble with managing the headstrong shinobi village while being headstrong himself. As a now renowned leader and ally of lighting, he has requested you to join them in a few weeks."

Kinuki took in the information before raising his eyebrows and smirking. He knew he would be seeing the new Raikage, but he thought he had at least a couple of weeks before their next encounter. "Sure, I'll go. It'll be cool to see him soon. And why in a couple of weeks rather than immediately?"

"Well," The kage smiled. "He wouldn't want to be seen as weak, would he? He also requested you rest a bit before you come to fight again."

"Really? Are you sure that's not his secretary talking?" The whiskered teen laughed. "Will I be going with my team?"

"Would I be able to join? There is quite a lot of places to research in Kumo." Jiraiya chimed in shortly before being hit on the back of the head. 

Minato dropped his hand, scowling slightly. "Sure sensei. Lower your reputation, even more, that would help your dying spy business from being taken over by a new, better man." 

"Why don't you kill me with a Kunai while you're at it?" The sanin sneered. "As if you don't want to go!"

"To war?" The blond bickered. "No thank you, I've had just about enough of all that." 

"So you agree, Kinuki-san?" The elder interrupted the two. " You have just about three weeks to rest. I'll inform the rest of your team in the morning."

"Oh, so you can interrupt my sleep but not there's?" Kinuki retaliated. "Perfect thanks. But, while they're not here, I would like to ask you a question." The kage hummed in response while signing a loose paper. " Who is bunny truly?" 

The room fell silent. The identity of an ANBU was never disclosed, it was forbidden and always kept within the shinobi's family. But did that apply to Bunny, a mere child with absolutely no family but his ANBU team? 

"Minato, Jiraiya, leave us." The two looked at each before making their way towards the door. It was only when the door's click echoed throughout the room did they make eye contact once again. 

"Before I say anything, Kinuki, I would like to ask you. Why?" The teen rose an eyebrow, utterly confused. "Why are you asking at all? You do know I am not allowed to answer." 

"From my knowledge, the young boy was skilled enough to be an ANBU. The youngest ANBU of this time was supposed to be around 17 so how come mouse was 14 when he died?" 

"Has the past begun to change already?" Sarutobi sighed. "Kinuki, do as you wish with this information but do not disgrace the dead. Do keep in mind that the altering of the mind initiates the altering of the future so spread it wisely." 

As the teen nodded, the elder reached down into his cabinet and withdrew a folder with #89345 scribbled on the front with a black pen. He opened the file, revealing a single sheet of paper with a picture of the masked young man. It was mouse. He had shoulder-length dirty blond hair and dull eyes past his mask but at the same time, pure determination shone within them. The most discernible feature being the blue bandana. 

"Genma," Kinuki muttered out with no doubt in his voice. The elder nodded. It was impossible to misidentify the young boy since the redhead had seen him so many times. In the future, Genma Shiranui was one of his most trusted allies, always helping in any way he could despite his constant illness. He was lazy but always cloud minded and hearing his input from time to time was soothing. He was one unpredictable man. 

But that didn't make sense. No, not since in the future he had lived to the age of fifty while only being about fourteen here. "But old man, that makes no sense. He lived for so long. Why is he already dead?"

"The times are changing, Kinuki." The kage took a drag of the tobacco. "You are changing the way of the past and there are consequences with every action. You knew that from the moment you got here." 

"Yes, but I t-thought I had more time." Kinuki fiddled with a piece of his bright red hair frantically. "I didn't think it would take lives! A young life on top of that!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"The world is evolving, Naruto." Hinata rose a hand to Naruto's cheek. "My only wish is that I had more time to fix all my mistakes." She chuckled dryly. "I lose my temper once, attempt to carelessly take revenge on something that cannot be changed and lost my life."

The blond whipped his head around the room, trying to find any source of chakra. But, there was none. The entire hollow and broken room was bare of chakra. What was he supposed to do? He had to save her. He can't lose yet another friend. "No, Hinata, we can stil-" 

"Negi is dead." Hinata breathed out. "Kiba is dead, Shikamaru is dead, I am soon to be dead. But, you aren't dead, Naruto. You are the spark of change in the world and you have to use that power for good, do you understand?"

The Kage nodded, allowing a single tear to fall as he held the youngers faltering hand in his own. 

"I tried my best but it was still not nearly as much as Negi tried. And he tried so hard to make other's understand his pain and suffering and somehow, he ended up taking all of the clan's sorrow as well. He walked every day with pride on his shoulder while still carrying the burden of the entire clan. He was so strong, so strong. And I'm sure that he was still strong his final moments as well, don't you, Naruto?" 

"Yes, I'm sure he was." He whispered to the young girl. 

"You know, I've always wanted to be with him from the moment I met him. Somehow, I knew I wanted to help Negi carry the burden of the branch family while still staying determined in his journey. I wanted him to teach me something and he did. Do you want to know what he told me?" The whiskered teen nodded. 

The heiress stuttered upon her words. "H-he said 'Hinata I have thrived to become the strongest all my life. When trying to beat clan heads I thought that I was only doing so to be acknowledged but I was wrong. I was so wrong. In the end, it was revenge that powered that hunger. That desire to bring down the ones who killed my father."

"But then I met you. Your stupid stuttering and frail body filled me with rage. I thought that it was a joke. That I had worked my ass off to fight off an inanimate stick. But that stick was so full of kindness and determination, it made me want to do something. To follow behind someone. And I know you think that you bare the burden with me but you don't. I have the caged bird seal while you live your life beyond the cage covered in shackles. It is my duty to aid you, not the other way around. You taught me that revenge only fuels the fire. That our destiny is not written by those who see us once. It is given by those who dare to strike out against the norm." 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The redhead took a deep breath, retreating towards the door. "Ok, I'll figure this out. Thank you for telling me old man but I'm gonna call it a night. Take care."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If Kinuki had known where he was going, maybe this would have been prevented. Needless to say, he had absolutely no idea where he was going. The plan was to go as far east of the village as possible and meet the blond sensei at a jonin lounge in a few minutes. But now he was stuck between his unmasked team and a duo of girls as they swung alcohol at each other like madmen. 

Who were the two girls? Well, they were none other than his and his best friend's mother. Kusina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha, each chugging bottles vodka at an irregular pace. Everyone around him? Wasted up to the moon. Chance of escape? A solid zero percent when he was, after all, the center of the show. 

"So how did you defeat that traitor Danzo." Mikoto slurred, giggling to herself as she caressed the young teen's whiskered cheeks. "I bet you were all big and strong."

"Sure," Kinuki responded as passive-aggressive as possible. "It wasn't easy, I assure you. He took Minato down in the span of minutes."

"Minato!" Kushina yelled before moaning harshly. "God, I hate that man."

"Why?" 

"We used to be best friends before this Aka-san showed up. Now I'm a wall that he rants to whenever he has a fangirling freakout. It's always Aka this and Aka that." 

"Really?" Kinuki laughed, this was definitely black nailing material. "What did he say exactly."

"I don't know and I don't care," The teen smirked as he watched the apparently summoned blond weave his way through the drunks in the bar. "He's a stupid man and I dunno how he even got the name 'The yellow Flash.' It sounds so stupid. On top of that, his names are awful. 'Flying thunder god technique' like what even is that."

Behind the redhead stood the young blond, his eyes radiating the loss of a kicked puppy. "It's a pretty cool name if I do say so myself." He muttered as the girl spun around, her locks hitting him harshly as she turned. Her face flushed tomato-red as she crossed her arms and turned her face to the ceiling. 

"I don't know what you're talking about. Your titles are the worst titles in the history of titles." She slurred. "And your hair doesn't make you look any saner." 

Kinuki cut Kushina off before the conversation could go further. "If you guys have it all handled, I have to go talk to my team, so I'll talk to you later." He leaned in to whisper into the blond's ear. "Good luck, she's totally wasted." 

Minato spluttered as the teen turned away and made his way towards a booth on the opposite side of the room. He was in for some deep shit. 

"So, Kushina." He smiled at the prideful girl. "How are you?"

"Don't even talk to me Minato, I don't want any part of your Aka fangirling. It's just the color red. Why do you insist on hating it so much?" 

The blond turned towards Mikoto, his eyes pleading some help. "No way," Mikoto spoke before flinging herself towards the dance floor, her raven hair radiating the bright neon lights. "Deal with your own shit, buddy!"

'Well fuck.' He left unsaid. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Across the room, Kinuki now sat on the very edge of his team's booth, taking a deep breath before looking around the table. Frog, their captain, sat swaying his large cup from side to side, his liquor threatening to spill at any moment. It was strange seeing them like this, unmasked and full of life. Often, they were thrust into mission after mission without a pause in sight. But here, all those thoughts were unnecessary. 

"So, I guess an introduction is in order." Mouse broke the silence, chuckling awkwardly. "My name is actually Misaki Yuhi and uh, ya."

'Kurenai's mom!' Naruto thought harshly. 'I've never actually met her. That's so cool.'

Misaki was an exact replica of her daughter. The only clear difference being the round shape of her face and the shorter hairstyle. She had the motherly and stubborn aura of her child as well. Speaking of which, Kurenai should be alive by now, she was in the same generations of Kakashi, was she not?

"My name is Hiashi Hyuga," Sloth spoke quietly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." 

Kuruma burst out laughing. This was definitely not the proud man they knew. He was so squashable it was funny. Like a tiny bug. 

"If you don't mind me asking." The redhead inquired. "If you're a Hayuga, then why haven't you used your Byakugan before?" 

"I am training to rely more on brute strength than my clan's tactics. I'm sorry if that's an inconvenience." 

Kinuki shook his head smiling slightly. The group looked towards frog, waiting for him to introduce himself. 

"My name is Wakisaka Yasuhiko," Frog finally spoke. "It is nice to meet you, Aka."

"Ah," The whiskered teen scratched the back of his neck. "Yes, I guess it's my turn. I have to introduce two people, so please be patient. My name is Kinuki Totsuka, a past spy and assassin. And this," he pulled out a picture of a mouse and slid it to the middle the table, "is Genma Shiranui." 

The team gasped, gapping at the teen in pure shock. How did he know when they practically begged any person to tell them the young boys identity. They spent day after day trying to find a single name and finally, they were informed by a newbie.

"Genma," Misaki allowed a hand to linger on the photo. "Your name was Genma Shiranui, huh, bunny."

"How did you find out?" Hiashi demanded, allowing some of his future personality to shine through. "We have spent every day and night for months trying to find out his name. How did you manage to find out in a few day's time?" 

"The old man." The team burrowed their eyebrows. "Sarutobi." 

"You mean, the Third Hokage? Why would he tell a mere boy that information?"

"What can I say." The teen boasted. "He and I are pretty close."

"Thank you." They watched as Misaki wracked with newfound sobs. "Thank you so much." 

Kinuki stood from the booth and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Come," He smiled. "I'd like to show you something." 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hinata's eyes drooped as she let out her final breath. The teen kage was the last living person in the entire building. The blood of all the bodies, allies and enemies, pooled around his feet, leaving him in tears. He was alone once again. All alone. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

With the celestial lights as a guide, the group of four made their way towards the familiar memorial stone at the center of a small field. Kinuki lit the stone with a small fire jutsu and pointed to the small name. Genma Shiranui.

"I'm scared," Misaki admit, sitting on the stone steps of the memorial, hands sitting on her knees. "I have a young girl the a bit older and bunny was like a son to me. So kind and bright. The world is so harsh." She cried. "Does that mean they'll take my Kurenai too?" 

"No, Misaki. Your girl will be just fine." Wakisaka breathed out. "Life continues on, we live with or without the people who die. But we must continue for their sake. For Bunny's sake. It's like you said, Kinuki." 

The redhead smiled. "Yes."

And the world was quiet. It fell peaceful with the breeze, its mellow touch soothing the team as they mourned silently. But there were no tears. No, the feeling they had was mutual. Determination.

More than anything, they would protect their loved ones. Just as the redhead had once failed to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I'm so sorry for the wait! I'll be honest, writing this chapter seemed easy initially, but ended up so hard. I'm an action writer, not a whoop-de-doo peace type of person. But I needed a chapter where everything was ok before the climax. I'm very sorry for the short chapter on top of that but there wasn't much to say. The book will continue as always starting next week, so get excited. 
> 
> I want to also thank you all for the support. I've been getting so many votes and favorites it honestly made me cry. I love you all and I thank you for everything you all have done for me. 
> 
> As always, 
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


	8. The Names and Faces of Kinuki Totsuka| Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.
> 
> This chapter in general mentions a lot of gore and blood. Please use discretion. 
> 
> There is a lot of explanation of the future along with some hiatus info at the bottom. Please read it! 
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..."
> 
> "Memory..."
> 
> Enjoy!

"There!" Mouse whispered towards the group, turning the head of team 007 towards the direction of her nimble finger. There sat an entire Regiment of dozens of Iwa shinobi, laughing heartily with ready weapons in their hands. Through the laughter, you could see the soldiers just about ready to battle, their eyes steady and calculating.

Weapons were scattered all around the mountainside, far from an edge of a cliff, but just close enough to use in case of emergency. And boy, they would need it if they knew who was coming for them.

They were stationed along the path leading upwards, rocks threating to avalanche if they did as much as yell too loud. But that didn't stop them from threatening the very rocks they shouted from.

'From the looks of it,' Frog fumbled in his head, 'they would be caught unaware if they were to send a jutsu spiraling in their direction.'

"About 70 shinobi." Frog mused. "Back up will be here soon, but I bet they'll take off sooner than that. Daybreak is just around the corner, after all. Should we attack now?"

Aka laughed, catching the unfaltering ANBU by surprise. "I don't think we have a choice." He pointed towards the firing kunai aiming straight towards their tree before blocking all three with his arm guard. "They've already spotted us."

The masked team jumped down towards the soldiers, pulling out shining blades before sprinting murderously towards the regiment.

And so the bloodbath began.

Fueled with anger, dozens of shinobi fell culprit to the slashing and banting of Kinuki's sword, dying instantly as he made contact. The team bounced to the rhythm of the wind, the hard rocks making it hard to keep a steady grip on the mountains sharp ledges. But the redhead paid no mind to it. No, right now, he was furious at what Iwa had done.

For days now, the ANBU had traveled through the war sites of Kumo and Iwa. And it was nothing short of devastating. For miles it looked like the fourth shinobi war submerged once again, castrating everything in ashes and rock. It was everything Kinuki had fought to prevent, only to find it happening in the form of something else.

Of course, he knew that war was unavoidable. It was just a scene that he wanted to avoid for at least another few months. The wretched smell of rotting corpses filling the clearing with buckets of blood; the moans of those who were too far gone to be saved. Well, he would do anything to forget that smell in a heartbeat.

That's why, when the feeling, the utter smell submerged once again, the redhead was distracted. Fighting for his sanity all the while slashing at three separate shinobi. There were too many for the four of them to handle, that much was obvious. With the way things were going, they were going to tire out long before the reinforcements would arrive. Kinuki blocked another incoming shuriken.

"Sloth!" He called out towards the Hyuga, who was faring well on his own despite the complications. The teen broke his stance, turning himself towards the other. "We need to launch formation B!"

"Right!" Sloth called back not a moment later.

Kinuki spun around to slash at yet another kunai just to receive a blow to the back of the knee. The redhead hissed in pain, throwing a final kunai of his own at the neck of the man in front of him. The man threw another punch to his jaw before slumping to the ground, this time, most definitely dead.

Behind him, a squad of chunnin gathered, preparing a joint jutsu in order to kill the blood-lusting redhead.

By the time the teen was able to register what had happened, it was too late. Frog had jumped in front of him, ironic as it was, and took the brunt of the blow that would surely kill the teen if it had hit.

By the time he reached the muddy stone floor, he was dead. Lightning sizzled through the man's corpse, leaving him foaming in the mouth and wide-eyed in death.

Kinuki froze, let out a cough of disbelief before being thrown into the depths of his mind once more.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mud splattered aimlessly at the sprinting Jonin, blaring red alarms everywhere as they tried their hardest to complete the mission. It was sunny despite the dust clouds, birds were chirping, moss was growing ever so slightly on the ashy ground and the dozens of dead citizens seemed to blend into the background as they ran towards the next batallion.

A batch of bugs flew quickly towards a hooded man.

"Shino, what did you find?" The Kage whipped a sweat from his brow while jumping towards a rock near the man.

"We have to keep going. Their reinforcements are coming in fast."

"Go." The redhead commanded, jumping towards the nearby rock.

The hooded boy rushed forward, sending his bugs in front of him while jumping over yet another corpse. The two traveled for just a few minutes before being confronted by a brigade of Oto shinobi.

"Halt, Hokage of the Leaf!" The man designated as the leader stepped forward, furrowing his brows in an attempt to hide his fear of the Shinobi legend. "It is here, that you fall! Move forth, men!"

"Shino." Naruto managed to whisper into the other's ear before the men hadj reached them. "Go. You have to go home. Don't die, do you hear me?"

"I'm not going to leave you here, Naruto."

"Yes, you are." He blocked an incoming fire attack with his own Jutsu. "Now move!"

Shino released a batch of poisonous beetles against the troops, aiming straight towards the necks of their next victim.

With their back's against each other, Naruto encased himself in a cocoon of light, releasing golden arms that flung the Oto-nin into the air. Dozens of nin were whipped out in seconds, leaving just a few of the stronger to fight with half the limbs then they started with. The clearing began to dull with blood, tainting the rocky ground.

But one man was left unnoticed. And that man was none other than the man who started it all. Orochimaru. A dark blade was held steady in his hands, its tip, a neon green color that oozed with poison. All pointed at the young Kage fighting for his life.

With a light jump, both the snake and bug master flung towards the Kage, both with the same but different goal. The man's swift blade penetrated through the young boy, letting out a cough of blood as the snake himself scoffed in disgust.

Naruto watched as the pale man kicked his bugged friend, pulling the sword out of his gut and flicking off the blood onto the rocks beneath them.

"You clown!" He kicked the boy with every word. "How dare you! This poison cost me far more than an arm and a leg, you joke of a human being."

A dark red, distorted mass grabbed the man by the leg that once kicked, pulling it off with a swift yank. Orochimaru hissed in pain, grabbing at the stump while glaring at the boy -no beast- in front of him.

The nine tails reemerged, tainting the air with such toxicity that it was barely breathable; it's seven tails flying around the air, stomping at the ground. Letting out an inhuman screech, he rammed towards the disabled man with such vigor, such anger that just couldn't be human. There was no way that the Kage was still alive in there.

Orochimaru flew across the battlefield, bloody and decapitated. There was no time left for regrets.

And just as the tailed beast appeared, the beast melted into the shape of a minuscule blond-headed head boy, covered in burns in various shapes and sizes. He let out a scream of pain, scratching at his wounds in an attempt to stop the deafening pain.

Dropping to the floor in his agony, the teen's mind cleared momentarily, sending him into a fit of panic. Beside him, the now red-stained Shino lay foaming at the mouth, just as dead as all the corpses beside him.

"Shino." He whispered with a blank face, slowly slipping into unconsciousness. "You can't leave me, you hear. You just can't leave me."

Bugs filled the clearing, eating at all the victims of the mass murder as the sun shone brightly on the blistering boy. But there was not a sound insight. No, there were no cries or sobs. Just silence.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Aka-san!" Mouse screamed all the while slashing at a nearby shinobi. "Snap out of it asshole we need help!"

Sloth withdrew his katana and parried an incoming barrage of jutsu, blocking it inches away hitting the redhead's red locks.

"What's up with him?" Sloth slashed at the end of another soldier's elbow. "Why is he just standing there?"

"Aka!" Mouse flipped onto one hand, kicking at multiple feet.

The redhead let out a whimper, drawing the attention of all those around him. And inevitably, mouses motherly side took over.

The mouse-haired girl grabbed at her shoulder as pain shook her body, watching dazedly as blood seeped through her finger-tips. She felt the warm glow of a hand touch her back quickly before light surrounded the entire area in an entity of purity.

She dangled her feet slightly, looking down at all the soldiers left bellow. Left bellow?

Mouse clambered forward, looking for the cause of the light before realizing the bright colored cloak that covered the young redhead.

"Kinuki." She heard Sloth breath under his breath. But the younger paid not to head.

With a swift jerk of his hand, Kinuki moved the large beast of light forward, squashing the many soldiers under his feet. His bright hair was lined with the golden glow, beaks forming at the top like ears. With equal saturation, his cloak wildly flew behind him. Almost like a superhero with a cape.

But his eyes, his eyes bore holes into the earth like craters, it's bright red glow showing nothing but pure rage. His mouth opened, revealing fang-like teeth that could frighten even the mightest tiger.

Mouse grabbed at her shoulder yet again, frozen by the lack of a wound. "I'm healed, Sloth." She breathed out towards the other.

"Monster." Sloth whispered to himself, watching as the beast strung from side to side, killing anything and everything in its sight.

The mountain fell in on itself, rocks hitting the edge of the cliff steady before falling off with large bursts. The weapons that were once scattered were crushed, along with any remains of the shredded bodies.

And just as fast as it started, it ended, leaving the two leftover teammates fearing for more.

But even after all that, Kinuki didn't say a word. He turned around towards the two, a single tear falling from his now ocean-blue eye. His damaged mask falling from his face in chunks.

"I'm sorry." He whimpered, crumbling to the grassy-ash floor before them. And once again, the clearing was left in silence.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A creak of the door filled the dark hotel room with light and noise, breaking the tension that incased the two remaining members of team 005.

Red strands swayed lightly into the room, following gracefully as he stood motionless at the door. His entire body stood on guard as his keen gaze fell on the two masks.

"Kinuki," Mouse's voice faltered, only to fall on deaf ears.

"The Raikage has summoned you," He spoke steadily, cutting her off without hesitation. " You must meet at the Kage's tower at 1340 hours."

Kinuki turned towards the door, making a step before being held back by the wrist. The teen turned towards the girl, eyes fixated harshly.

Mouse held his wrist harder. "We need to talk."

"What of?"

"You know what, you idiot. Now stop pretending and talk to us. We know your hurting and we're hurting too. And we're not scared of you if that's what you think. It's just-"

"It's just what?" Kinuki glared daggers into the girl, making her shiver slightly. "It's just that you what to know who I am. What I am?"

"NO!" Sloth jumped to his feet. "We what to know if you're ok! If what you did was hurtful to you in any way. It's just, you were moaning that day, you know. Seething as though your whole body burned. It was horrifying to watch."

"I'm-" The teen staggered, imperceptibly gathering what the other had asked. "Fine. Just, fine."

Sloth took a breath. "That's all I wanted to know."

Mouse flung around towards Sloth, raising a fist at him. "That's not all I wanted to know! What the heck even was that! It was like nothing I've ever seen! It was like-"

"A monster, I know." The redhead mumbled to himself, opening the door before slamming it closed. "I know."

"That son of a bitch!" Mouse threw herself towards the closed-door, being held back by the chest by a prepared Hyuga. "Let him go, for now, Mouse. If he needs some time to himself, let him have it. He'll tell us when he's ready."

"Ya, but when is ready Sloth?" She huffed. "It's been a week now and that's literally the only thing he said to us thus far."

"Just be happy he's safe. I would worry if he was in any physically in pain."

"But he's not safe, Sloth." Mouse gave out, sliding down the man and onto the floor. "Didn't you see him? That's not Kinuki-"

"Aka."

"What?"

"That was Aka. Not Kinuki."

"Ok, whatever Aka. That wasn't Aka."

The brown-haired male slid down to the floor alongside his teammate, fiddling uncomfortably with the hem of his uniform.

Throughout the time, they had been with the unpredictable redhead, one thing had become certainly clear to Hiashi. The man is far too complex for the eyes of a normal person. He was not the man, no the boy, that he claimed to be.

"It does matter." He raised an eyebrow under his mask. "Unless you haven't noticed."

"That his a huge prick? Yes, of course, I noticed."

Sloth ignored his teammate.

"Aka and Kinuki are like two different people." He lifted both hands, raising one higher than the other before switching with every comparison. Almost as though he were weighing a person's values. " One person is serious and one is playful. One is laid back while the other one bare's nothing but dark and cold eyes. The eyes of a man on his final battle. Maybe that's the real Kinuki, after all. I mean, haven't you found it weird that he could stay optimistic in even the worst time's and yet, become murderous after seeing something no one else can?"

Mouse thought about it lightly, picking out her questions from the back of her mind and pushing the anger a bit further down. Sure, the fact that he froze during the battle did strike her as odd, but she never thought deeply about it. Maybe it was more important than it seemed.

"I never thought about it I guess? His just Kinuki to me."

"His far too complex for even the Byakugan, Mouse. He's a man who thrives by living in a mask; trying to run from everything he experienced when his life was at its worst but inevitably failing."

"It's the life of a Veteran." Mouse dropped her head into her hands, " I know, I know."

Anger overtook the girl once again.

"It's just- I don't want to see him going around so fucked up. He convinced himself that's his a monster. You heard him say it too! But he's not! He saved so many lives. And he acts as though he just committed the biggest crime of his life. He's a hero!"

"And he may know that. But clearly, he must have thought that there was a way out of that. To avoid doing something that he would regret." Sloth scratched his chin. "Something clicked when Frog died. It's like a flashlight."

"Like an enraged flashlight, you mean?"

The male chuckled, basking in the cleared emotions.

"But," The mouse-colored eyes looked past the mask, straight into his pupils of pure pale purple. Sloth looked straight back. "I'm not scared of him. Are you?"

"Of course not, he was just trying to protect us by any means possible. Sure it was over the top, but it showed us how much we mean to him. How much frog meant to him."

The two twitched, feeling the familiar chakra burn in their tattoo's. Kinuki was calling them.

"Stupid Kinuki."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Stupid Kinuki!" Obito kicked a stone, making his way through the city with a burning passion.

"Obito!" The purple marked girl raced behind him. "Get back here!"

"I'll come back once that stupid Kinuki explains himself. He's gone for two weeks and now his the talk of the town. Heck, the talk of the Shinobi villages! Even I, the best chunnin in Konoha, am not that popular!"

A flash of blond appeared in front of the Uchiha, tripping him and Rin in the process. Obito lifted his head harshly, mud dripping down his face as he buried his eyebrows. "Minato-sensei!"

"Obito!" Rin hit the back of the boy's crown, picking herself up and brushing the dirt off her skirt. "I just washed my skirt yesterday!"

Minato's glare bore into the young Uchiha's chest, revealing his excruciating anger at the boy. It was noon. Exactly 12:46 in the afternoon and yet, this boy decided that skipping training to rant about Kinuki is worth more than training that was supposed to happen five hours ago.

Minato smiled dangerously. "So where exactly have you been, Obito?"

The raven-haired teen gulped, feeling sweat starting to trickle down his face. "Um, nowhere, Minato-sensei. Just reading a book about Kata's on my own, you know." He let out a faltering smile. "I decided to train on my own a bit to- uh, strengthen my brain skill thing."

"Well did your brain skill thingy ever tell you that it's a bad idea to try to skip training or what." Kakashi shushed near the trio.

Minato sighed, trying to better understand the boy's strange personality. "This is about Kinuki, isn't it?"

The boy furrowed his brows, letting others understand instantly. "Of course it is." He muttered.

The blond ruffled the younger's head before pulling him lightly by the collar. "Come," He started, "let's talk it out."

Team 7 followed after the elder jonin, past the oddly still tree's and gossiping village. Tradesmen whispered lightly into his customer's ear, mother's watching their children while discussing the recent propaganda.

Eventually, though, they made it to the training grounds. The one place Obito desperately tried to get away from. And he made sure that was clear to his sensei with the increased groaning.

"Sit." The eldest jonin motioned to the three tree stumps, waiting for the trio to sit down. After they obediently listened, Minato sighed for what must have been the fifth time that evening before sitting onto a stump in front of them.

"What's got your panties in a twist, Obito?"

Obito crossed his arms, keeping silent momentarily. "Endless red? Killing hundreds of enemy shinobi in an instant? Turning into a large golden beast? I mean, c' mon sensei, does that sound like Kinuki-San to you? It's been two weeks and all of a sudden h-he's some sort of beast." He pulled at his hair. "Do you really think he'd hide such power from us? But, like, even if he did, don't you think we'd know about him already? Heck, I wouldn't doubt it if he used to have a different identity or something."

Minato scratched his head, watching for Rin and Kakashi's reaction. Although, it began to be blatantly clear that they also heard of the news.

"Obito," Minato started, weighing his options. "You have to know that that man is one of the most unpredictable ninjas I have met in my life. And that's saying a lot considering I've seen hundreds of ninja on the battlefield. Even so, I have no doubt that Kinuki is the one causing havoc. He's just the kind of person to draw attention to himself. And in case you forgot, Kinuki was a spy once upon a time. He must have had a different identity at one point. It's a tactic that we ninja use to forget something we regret."

Kakashi's eyes gleamed. He could utilize the man's new status to his advantage. And if he really is that powerful, hell that would make him one of the luckiest jonin in the world. That man trained his team on a weekly basis. It was only a matter of time before he became an ANBU.

"Really?" Obito's grin crossed reached his ears "Really, really really?"

"Yes, really Obito," Minato said reluctantly, fearing a weird outburst.

"Kinuki is so cool!" Rin burst, catching the attention of all her teammates. She blushed, clearing her throat light. "I mean, isn't he amazing?"

Minato chuckled. "I bet he isn't thrilled at his nickname though."

"What do you mean?" The raven inquired.

Kakashi snickered. "Endless Red. It's cute." 

"No, it's not! It's awesome!"

"Endless Red?"

"Ya!"

"Well," Minato simpered murderously again, pausing at the two rivals bickering. "If you ever want to see the Endless Red again," He pulled out a kunai and swung at the younger. "You better get training!"

Obito dodged yet another kunai. "God damn it!"

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Laughter was all that could be heard in the spacious and empty room of the Kage tower. The only things it bore being the large hardwood deck and the current occupants; a stoic Aka, a blank Sloth, a gapping Mouse and low and behold the village's leader, a grumpy but passionate A. 

A's face brightened in an ear-splitting grin, muttering the silly phrase over and over. "The endless red. The endless red!" He let out another laugh. "God do I really need more than one Aka, let alone an endless one?"

Aka grumbled to himself, listening to his residents chuckling within the sewers. 

The raikage's laughter subsided, opting to look further into the boy's expression rather than assuming the worst. It was a given that the boy would talk back, and yet, he hadn't muttered a word. 

"How are you feeling, Kinuki? How's life being an S ranked nin in the bingo books in a matter of days? Congratulation's on making it to the top without ever being at the bottom."

Aka shrugged, hell, he didn't want to be in this position to begin with. He was supposed to keep himself on the down-low. Not in the retrospect of an S-rank. But he had to let his emotions loose. Even after being told countless times by his resident that his very emotions would be his downfall. 

And in the end, he was right. It was his sadness and nostalgia that led to leaving Sasuke alive only for him to come back stronger. It was his love for his village that left him clinging to any chance to save it. It was his guilt that led him to the past. 

It was time that finally began to realize why Sasuke left most of his emotions behind in the first place. To set his goal's straight, putting the world before his mind. 

Sure, he knew that his emotion's defined him. That he was once known only for his passion and his love for his village and the ninja world. But he wasn't Naruto anymore. No, he was Kinuki or Aka, or whoever. He was here to prevent the destruction of the world, not to fasten its process or make a dent as the savior of the world. 

The leader frowned at the other's grim expression. "Well, in any case, I would like to thank you trio personally from coming here in the first place and say that I'm very sorry about the loss of your leader. I heard that it's not the first from the team, but it's left you all in a sticky situation. I know it must have been hard putting a past enemy village before your own but, as you can see, I'm having trouble gaining the reins on the village." 

"The village is trying it's hardest to forget the loss of a leader." A sighed. "And that loss is moving them away from the very idea of another, let alone his son, taking his place. I'm not good with all the emoti-e feelie stuff and well, I thought maybe you are, Kinuki."

Mouse hid a laugh beneath a cough. With the way things were going, A would soon regret asking the younger for help, especially in a time when his emotions are the very thing he is trying to forget. 

"I'll try my best, sir," Kinuki responded lightly, trying to shake off the loud agonizing laughter Kurama couldn't bear to withhold. 

A huffed. "Putting my honor aside to ask for help better be worth something, boy. I wouldn't ask you here at all if it wasn't dire. Just know that I won't hold back if you say something stupid to hurt anyone here." 

"No, shit, A." The Kage smiled. That was more like the man he knew.

"At any rate, I have a letter from your Hokage." He raised a stamped letter above his head. "And it seems to be crucial about the future of team 007 so listen up."

The team perked up, backs straightening at the attention of their Kage's words. 

"I am disheartened to hear about the recent death of frog, such a talented young man, he had so much potential as a leader only to pass so soon." The Raikage started, frowning with every word. "But with the loss of a leader comes a new soul with great potential and new experiences. Which is why Kinuki Totusuka, based on his recent bingo book addition and accomplishment, will take the place of frog in his passing. Doing so, I feel as though it is important to tell both the Raikage and the remaining teammates of team 007 of Kinuki's status as Jinchur-" A spat, pointing at the chest of the man before him. "Jinchuriki?"

Kinuki frowned, looking as the man's shocked expression mirrored onto his fellow teammates. "Keep going, Raikage-san."

A grumbled, placing a hand on his neck before continuing. "This information is to stay within the four of you and no other. I will have no mercy on those who choose to break such rule. To Kinuki-san," The leader chuckled, "It seems you took my request very seriously, and to that I thank you. As you can see, your reward will be the very fangirls I tried to keep you safe from. I hope to see my team within the month, Raikage-sama. Safe journey's. The Third Hokage."

"Jinchuriki, huh?" The raikage exclaimed. "Well, that would explain a few things, huh? I knew that that wasn't a blood limit." 

"I'd rather not talk about it, A." Kinuki scratched his neck. "At least not now." 

"How did the Hokage manage to keep you hidden, anyway? It's almost as though you popped out of nowhere."

"Well, I've had a fairly hidden life. It sucked, but you better bet it was better than it is now." 

"I don't doubt it. But I heard from my Shinobi that that power of yours was no joke. A certain death kind of power. Just, how good are you anyway?"

Kinuki shrugged. "I haven't went all out in ages. Are we done yet? I would like to retire for the evening."

"Alright but I want to see you up and running by 11 sharp, ya hear? None of this depressed crap anymore. It makes me sad. And here," A threw a fresh mask and the younger, who caught it with ease.

The redhead nodded, placing it on his face and after bowing, made his way to the door before exiting with a light thump. 

"Follow him." The raikage suggested to the team. "I'm not an emotions expert but I know enough to know that he cannot be alone right now."

Mouse found the fire buried within herself quickly, stepping out of the shock she was in. Grabbing Sloth by the wrist she forced a deep bow and sprinted through the tower to follow the teen, leaving the door open in her path. 

A sighed, trying to suppress his anger. He doesn't want to get yet another desk this week. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Kinuki!" Mouse yelled out, trying to grab the attention of the young anbu, who once again, was ignoring his teammates. 

The redhead began to run as he heard the duo inching closer, opting to avoid anymore revealing information today. He wasn't sure his heart could take two more people leaving him. 

The people of the village began to look on the scene, watching in interest and some in fear. Word got around too quickly for the likes of Mouse. 

The girl began to up her efforts. "Sloth, could you use your-"

"Byakugan got it." Sloth sprinted effortlessly to catch up with the distressed teen, poking at his pressure points without a problem. Kinuki fell to the ground, paralyzed in fear before being caught by the Hyuga. 

"Aka, right?" Sloth began. "Before I start, don't you dare get mad at me for using my byakugan because if I didn't, you would continue running from nothing. We need to talk, and you know that. Let's all go back to the room and figure out what's going on. You're our captain, we need you in tip-top shape. Emotionally and physically." 

Mouse looked down on the frozen teen, watching as the teen was nonrespondent. Almost lost in his own world. 

"Kinuki?" Mouse's voice faltered. "You in there?" 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Naruto!" Tsunade scolded the teen. After chasing the boy for hours, she finally had a grip on him. Sure, he might be paralyzed and unable to move, but it was progress nonetheless.

"Grandma Tsunade was the whole paralyzing thing really necessary?" The blond groaned. "I'm fine, I don't know what you're stressing about." 

"What I'm stressing about is the fact that you suppressed all your emotions, Naruto!" Tsunade pulled the boy to sit against a tree by the ear. "It's not healthy. Especially if you're supposed to be the next Hokage. Your emotions are supposed to help you grow. To help you learn. You can't just shove them all away. You'll kill yourself."

"What do you mean Granny?" Naruto pulled a lopsided grin. "I'm totally fine. Super happy."

Tsunade frowned, ducking to the boy's level. "You've been in the hospital for three days and it's clear as day that Shino's death is affecting you. It's alright to let loose sometimes."

"But it's not Tsunade, it's not at all! It's fine, everything is fine. If I let go of my emotions than even more people will die because of me. It's my fault-" Naruto let out a sob. "It's my fault that so many have died. Shino, Kiba, Negi, Sakura, Hinata. It's all my fault granny. And you know it and I know it and we all know it! So just let me-"

Tsunade buried the teen in her chest, letting the boy cry out all of his sorrows and pain. 

"Maybe if I died, everything would finally be ok. It's me they want, isn't it? And the stupid fox? Maybe if I finally died everyone would continue living in peace. Maybe-"

"Shut your damn mouth, Naruto." Tsunade grabbed the younger by the shoulder's watching as his body wracked with sobs. "You know damn well that this village would be in shambles without you. And you have to give yourself some credit. The deaths were no one's fault but their own. They choose to stick with you through thick and thin and you have to show them all that it was worth it. That their faith is not in vain, ya hear?"

Naruto sniffled. "Yes, Granny Tsunade."

Tsunade pushed the young boy back into her chest, smuggling him in a hug. "If you ever feel like this again you better come to me, alright? You have to rely on others too. You're not in this alone."

"Ok."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kinuki let out a sniffle, letting tears flow freely from his eye's as he bathed in his godmother's voice. 

"Oh thank god your ok!" Mouse threw the younger into a hug, much to the surprise of the redhead. Although it fell into an even bigger surprise when the elder Hyuga joined in as well. 

They parted after a while, two of the ANBU being happier than ever to have their old friend back.

"I'll tell you everything. But, let's take it to somewhere private, shall we?" He looked to the crowd that seemed to have gathered due to their show. 

"Agreed." Sloth nodded, turning to move towards their previous building. 

"Er." Kinuki tried to move his limbs, failing miserably. "Help, please?" 

Sloth laughed, forgetting all about what happened previous. "Sure, should I carry you brial style?" 

"Oh god, please no, anything but that." 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, uh." Kinuki started as he was gently placed on one of the two beds. "What do you want to know?"

"Just, uh. What happened to you exactly? Why do you freeze up so often?"

The teen debated his words deeply before answering. "I've got had a traumatic past. Just, memories and other thing's get shot out at every trigger and it's really disheartening."

"What exactly are the triggers?" Miasaji asked lightly. "Is there a way we can prevent them?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest." Kinuki scratched his head. "It's everything, I guess."

"Well, that's reassuring." Sloth his mouse on the back of the head before asking a question himself. "Ow!"

"How long have you been a Jinchuriki? From what I've heard, being a vessel is a lot of work. Emotionally and physically." 

"From the day I was born, actually. So being a vessel is as natural as living to me. No matter how annoying my resident is."

"I'm the annoying one?" Kurama boomed. "If I'm annoying than your just a ball of annoying tendencies!"

Kinuki winced, waiting for the next question. 

"Who exactly is your resident?" Mouse chuckled. "Isn't it weird to call him your 'resident'?"

"I'd rather not say for now, sorry. Just know his a little ball of sunshine."

"Just like that cloak thing! What was it anyway?" Sloth cleared his throat. "Sorry for my volume."

"The cloak thing is just a layer of Biju chakra combined with my own. It's super strong, which explains why your wound healed so quickly, mouse. But, the problem is that overuse of it causes this." The teen put a hand through his rosy locks. "My original hair color was actually like Minato's, a bright blonde sort of thing."

The two raised their eyebrows, giggling as they imagined the teen with blond hair. "You would look like his twin. Geez, another yellow flash."

Kinuki nervously giggled to himself. They didn't know how right they were. 

"Well, I don't care what or who you are as long as your ok, Kinuki. And, you are ok aren't you?"

"I guess? I've not paralyzed anymore." Kinuki glared at the Hyuga, who responded with another chuckle. 

"No, I mean. You're not going to turn into a grumpy old man again are you?"

"Grumpy old- no! It's just- I don't want to be frog replacement, you know. He sacrificed his life for me, and I'm not even sure why. It makes me feel horrible. Like I don't deserve it."

"Kinuki," The older said with a frown. "Frog gave up his life for a reason. You better not waste it. He talked about how much potential he sees in you. How much potential he sees in us. Frog was a man in his good 40's, he was looking to get out of the shinobi life for years. Losing his wife pushed that further. He wanted to see his wife again, by any means necessary. And if it meant saving another in its process, then he'd do it in a heartbeat. It's not your fault."

"He's happy," Mouse put her hand on the redhead, putting on a sad smile. "I can tell you that much." 

Kinuki nodded, feeling the warmth of his team in his heart once again. He wasn't alone and he had to utilize it. Just like granny Tsunade said.

Mouse grinned. "Ok! You better bring your appetite on because we're getting ramen!"

"Ramen?" The teen asked the girl to clarify.

"Ramen!" She gripped the two boys by the arms and jumped towards the direction of the door.

"Can we at least get some Sake with the ramen?" Sloth suggested to the kunoichi. 

"But that wouldn't be fair, Kinuki is too young to drink."

"I'm 18, mouse!"

"Phhtt you don't need to lie, Kinuki!" 

"But I am 18!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! I'm back and hopefully stronger than ever? I mean, it took me a while to finally be satisfied with this chapter but I hope it finally clarified a few questions I continued to keep getting. 
> 
> As for the long Hiatus in between this chapter and the last chapter. I apologize sincerely but it was crucial for my mental health. While I don't want to get into too much detail, my brain just couldn't work well enough to produce a long and emotional chapter. Cause this one is really important. 
> 
> I hope to continue my once streak of uploading weekly, but who am I kidding. Truly, this book will have 2 to 3 long upload a month and I hope you'll are ok with it. Although! There will be some extra updates this month as the summer is coming to a close so get excited!
> 
> Lastly, I want to thank you all for 1000+ reads on wattpad in the span of like, 3 months. You guys are crazy amazing! And 65 followers on fanfic.net! You guys rock! While this chapter is getting uploaded at the same time, I urge you to follow my fanfic.net as well, as it will be updating one chapter faster each update. It will have a chapter updating next Sunday, while this will be updated the following Sunday! Just a heads up!
> 
> Just as a heads up to all archive of our own viewers, this story is being copied and pasted from Fanfic.net and wattpad. So the next few chapters are already up, just on a different site. Yes, I am the creator and I have my own permission to put it up on this site :) 
> 
> But I've been receiving such positive reviews from every site. You guys are truly the best. 
> 
> I love you all so much! <3<3<3
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


	9. Rumors | Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting, everybody! I hope this chapter was worth the wait!
> 
> Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.
> 
> As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D
> 
> Word count:6037
> 
> 'Thoughts...'
> 
> "A physical speech..."
> 
> "Kurama talking..."
> 
> "Past memory..."
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The light of the clouded lightning neighborhood reflected dully into the candle-lit bar, the soft murmur of the bar's occupants wafting into the ears of the hooded redhead, raising his guard ever so slightly. Kinuki raised his razor-sharp eyes from beneath his hood, almost as though he were looking for something.

"Hey." A pale-haired elder with red markings raised a hand at the teen as he met with his own. "Funny to see you here."

"I could say the same." The former Kage raised a brow, walking towards the old pervert with a smile. "What are you even doing here? There are no girls to be pervy towards."

The other laughed heartily, passing a bottle of sake to the younger. He watched as the boy took a chug before replying.

"I'm here on another spy mission. Tryn' to get the council of this damn village to agree on funding for our spy unit. Of course, they don't know that and they think this is all for some damn potatoes." The older sighed. "And I can't help but understand why they would say no. I mean, who would?"

"Make up a better lie. They would agree to fund a disabled academy would they not?"

"Nah, I doubt it. The people of this town as a thick-skulled as the rocks they came from."

"You could say that again." The younger took another chug, trying to forget his sorrows.

"Why are you here? It's only polite to offer your own info before asking for another's. I thought you were a spy Kinuki." Jariaya mocked. A twinge of spit flew across the table and the grey-haired male only frowned further.

"I'm here to help the new Kage." Kinuki blew a small hair out of his face. "But of course, that was an awful idea cause now, I'm stuck on the other end of a furious Onoki while getting kicked in the ass at every corner for my new 'Identity.'"

"The Endless Red, huh." Jariaya watched as the other groaned. "You know, that ace you pulled was no joke. I don't know why you ever even decided to pull it in a situation as small as that one. It truly came out of nowhere."

"I was in a desperate situation, Pervy sage. My captain died, my teammates were wounded. We would've been wiped out if I didn't do anything."

"I understand, kid, but look at what's happening now." The sage moved his hand from one side of the table to the other. "The whole shinobi world is wondering what the heck you are and if you're a threat. Most people won't let you into the village on account of that. On the other hand, the Hokage is trying to keep the whole deal under wraps and the fact that your name is now in the bingo books isn't a godsend either. You kinda fucked now."

"Just like in the last timeline." The redhead put his head in his hands, massaging it lightly. "What if I went around in a hedge, would that work?"

"Maybe, you could always try it out." Jariaya took another chug of sake. "But you're avoiding the question. Why are you here? Last I remember we were supposed to take a trip to 'Pein.' Not on an academy field trip."

"It's A." Kinuki groaned, dropping his head onto the table with a bang. "Instead of the country treating him like a leader, they treat him as a child who lost a father. Like a fragile thing. He wasn't able to think of anything on his own, so now I'm stuck trying to fix the problems of a thick-headed man."

"Yikes, that's harsh kid."

"And it's not like I have any experience in this sort of thing. I had to work for the position of Kage, y' know. I worked my ass off to achieve the goal I set as a child and at the end of the journey, I was respected for giving my entire being for the village. Sure, it took time but it was worth it. With A," The teen sighed. "I can't help but wonder how he got out of this in a past timeline."

The two stared into the abyss for a moment, trying to collect their thoughts. Jariaya's head shot up. 

"I'll help you out if you help me out."

Kinuki raised a brow. "Sure?"

"What if you did what everyone has been doing to you?"

"Meaning?"

"Spread rumors." The pervert replied proudly, thanking his brain for the once in a lifetime ingenious thought. " If you spread rumors about how strong A was on the battlefield, the village will be proud to have a passionate leader instead of pitying a furious orphan."

"I guess that would work?" Kinuki rubbed the back of his neck. "It's always worth a try, in the end. Thanks, old man."

Jiraiya grinned. "Now, for my request."

"Ok?"

"I want you to pitch the funding idea to the council." 

Kinuki nodded. "Deal. But that doesn't mean they'll agree."

"Trust me." The sage snorted. "They'll trust the man who saved their village and helped the leader build new foundations."

"Sure." The redhead mocked.

"On other notes," Jariaya grinned. "Guess who has a fanbase?"

"Oh for the love of kame-"

The elder pointed to his apprentice. "The infamous endless red! You can be sure to rome the streets of Konoha with women on every inch of your body."

"You perverted old man!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A young teen no older than 18 jumped on an old box, strong enough to support the younger's skinny frame but too weak to hold anything else. The attention of dozens of citizens focused solely on him as he told the story of a century. 

For the past week, the redhead had told the citizens pieces (that he mainly made up by the way) of their Kages story. Underlining every inch of good doings for the sake of life in the lightning village and in the hopes to higher their standard of A. As far as he had seen, it was working.

"And A was there!" The Endless Red drew out the battlefields tales to naive citizens. The crowd cheered on their leader as he faced off the mightest of armies. "Blasting rocks at anyone in his path! His strength harder than steel. His fist the equivalent of the mightiest sword. It was like nothing I've ever seen! And trust me, I've seen my fair share of A ranked killers."

He continued for days, hours poured into his every movement watched by those of the village in awe. The children had never heard of someone so strong. Not even their past leader could compare.

"Good job, kid." Pervy sage praised the younger as he shunshed to the rooftops. "I think you'll be able to leave by the end of the week."

"Wouldn't that be a blessing."

"Aka!" Kinuki heard his teammates searching the streets for the younger. He let out a faint pulse into his tattoo and was immediately enveloped in a hug. 

"You did it, big guy!" Mouse punched the younger's shoulder. 

"Maybe we can finally go home." The Hyuga groaned. "We'll all get some well-deserved rest." 

"Ain't that the truth." The teen sighed, watching as his team started to brighten up. 

As much as the younger denied it, he was feeling much better now that he regained some power and control. It seems his past leadership managed to seer into this timeline as well. Although one could argue that he had the passion from the very beginning, after being Hokage for some time, his body and mind grew used to the idea that he was a shield. He had to protect everyone around him and to do so, he had to have some control. And being captain gave him this control. 

Even though, now, he had to find a new member for his team. Who had ever heard of a three-man party? Even his old group had four members. Maybe he could give Kakashi a chance to prove his skill. To join his team. Sure, in doing so, he would distance his true team, Rin and Obito. But in the end, it would give him a chance to protect Kakashi's life like he had failed to do so before. 

He had grown fond of this group. Nowhere as much as the protectiveness of his old friends but somewhat close to it. Kakashi, although 10 times edgier than before, but retained his natural spark in life even in the future. Obito, while a bit crazy, reminded Kinuki of Naruto. The child he once was. Rin was an identical reflection a Sakura, the protective, motherly type, although without the crazy vibe Sakura had. He had no doubt, that with the right choices, he could protect them through their crazy future and prevent Kakashi's perverted and lazy personality. 

And then there was Miasaji and Hiashi. There was very little time left for them if the past timeline was anything to go by- having only about a year left if he had to give a brief estimate. Hiashi would be killed just after Neji's birth by a neighboring village and Miasaji being killed protecting academy students from an enemy attack. 

Kinuki sighed mentally. Rubbing his head in hope of some released stress, Kinuki tried to push his mind out of unwanted territory. 

"I wonder what Onoki thinks of all this." Jiraya thought out loud, leaving the others in silence to weigh their thoughts.

"My guesses are that his one mad pickle." Mouse placed a hand on her hip, watching Kinuki mutter under his breath. "Whatcha thinking about?"

Kinuki lifted his head. "I forgot about him for a while. I think we just made everything worse."

"Come on it can't be that bad." The dull Hyuga's locks rubbed against the teen's side as he placed a hand over his shoulder. "It's not our responsibility. I'm sure that Hokage will figure it out eventually."

"That would be great but, we are the once to start the contract, not the Kage." The redhead groaned. "It's on us." 

Jiraya narrowed his eyes, raising his hand to the group and leaving the other's silent. He moved his eyes towards a corner, moving his head in that direction to indicate an unwanted visitor. 

Before the man cloaked in black could even blink, he was thrown into the middle of the group by his collar, moving frantically to get away but being tripped in the process. The spy drew out a kunai, aiming it towards the red path he saw shining as a shinobi moved. 

"Who the fuck are you!" Mouse withdrew her katana, aiming it at the man's neck. 

But the man stayed silent, his eyes moving back and forth as he searched for an escape. 

The old sage moved swiftly, grasping at the young girl's sword and using the hilt to knock the man down instantly. He lifted the man's hood revealing a crossed leaf symbol at his forehead. 

"Should I even ask why you did that?" The Yuhi sighed, watching as Aka picked the man up and threw him over his shoulder. 

"We're going to the Raikage immediately. Team 007 move out." 

"Yes, sir." The two hollered, following their already moving leader within the shadows. Left behind, Jiraya shunshed to the office, leaving nothing but leaves in his place. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"This man, spied on 3 ANBU and a sanin?" A raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms to show his mistrust. "I don't believe it."

"Seriously?" Kinuki sighed, "What would I have to gain from lying."

"As much as I don't want to believe it, I'm getting old alright." The elder sage chuckled dryly. "I would've spotted him in a heartbeat in my prime." 

"Agreed." Sloth breathed out, only to be slapped in the back by the older.

"Hush, boy. You are young. Naive- but still young."

"Alright, say I do believe you." All attention fell back on the kage. "Why would a man of your own village try to harm you."

"Maybe because he saw me as a threat to the village?" Aka frowned behind his newly made mask. "I mean, I don't exactly have the best reputation."

"Maybe?" Jiraya mused, digging within his brain deeply before watching as the redhead moved towards the now listening and awake spy. 

"Hi." The teen put on a cheery voice. "Who the hell are you?"

The man struggled in his seat, gnawing at the ropes around his arms. When he finally caught a grasp on the situation, he scowled deeply. 

"Go to hell." He spat, watching in hidden glee as the saliva made it's way down his blank mask slowly. 

Aka's chakra spiked, warning the entire room of what was to come. His eyes glowed a bright red. A color that could be nothing but described as bloodlust. With swift movements, Kinuki threw his arm back, grabbing the katana out of his holster and shoved it centimeters away from his throat.

"I tried doing this the nice, civilized way but it seems you don't want to cooperate. Now, who do you work for!"

Aka sighed as he saw no intention of a change. He drew his blade closer, the tip digging into his neck lightly, drawing trickles of blood.

Slowly, the shinobi stuck out his tongue, revealing a seal that the teen knew all too well. Aka sighed, turning towards the group and withdrawing his katana from his neck. 

"It's Danzo." The redhead groaned. "It's a curse of sealing. He can't talk even if he wanted too."

"Isn't Danzo dead?" Mouse rubbed her neck. "I thought we killed him."

"I don't know," Aka withdrew an empty pen from the seal on his forearm, pushing his deep red locks out of his face and onto one shoulder. 

"What are you doing!" A shouted as he opened the Konoha man's mouth. 

"Placing a seal?"

Jiraya made his way towards the two, eager to learn something new. 

"Do you actually know how to unseal it?" The sages voice shrunk in excitement. "Can you teach me!"

"Later, and yes I do know it, it's fairly simple." The teen pushed the sage back, revealing more light to the man's mouth. 

And as he moved his pen closer and closer to the shinobi's mouth, he heard the mumblings of a prayer. A prayer that he would never forget. 

"In the name of all that is holy-"

Sai's blade spun in his hand, waiting for its weight to become acquainted with its owner. 

"Let there be light-"

His eyes shone, his smile a dull facade. 

"in the name of Danzo, our savior-"

The snake-like teen ran towards the young Kage. 

"Let my movements be just and right!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Naruto dropped to the floor, the blade of his once friend deep in his gut. 

"Sai," His tired, chakra ridden face showing nothing more than sadness. "This isn't you." 

Sai pulled the Watanabe out of the teen's torso, taking deep breathes as he watched his once teammate groan and cough up blood. 

"Sai, I know you're in there."

"You are wrong." Sai slashed at his chest again, drawing more and more blood. "I'm not the Sai you know. I am a fearless and strong killer of evil."

" I know you are." Naruto took shallow breaths, not having the strength to move a single finger as he lay on the hard concrete floor. "Come back to me Sai."

Knowing his time was coming, the kage of the leaf closed his eyes, greeting the darkness with open arms. All he wanted was rest. His fight was over. After fighting thousands of Shinobi singlehandedly for days, he could finally let loose a little. 

A small tear made it's way down the raven's porcelain face, easily missed if you hadn't been looking for it. 

Sai stared at the blood-washed blade, gasping and heaving as he tried to withhold his vomit. He had just killed the one person who gave him a chance. Who loved him as a brother even after he was replaced by Sasuke. 

Why? What in the world told him to do so? What was wrong with him?

With a shaky hand, Sai raised the sword to his throat, the smile on his face never faltering as he dropped to the floor near his friend. In his last movements, he placed his foul hand onto the bloody other's, hoping that he wouldn't see the other in hell with him. And that in peace, he would find a way to forgive his sins.

It wasn't long before the duo was discovered, dozens of shinobi rushed into the building searching for their shield. There one and only savior. Their Hokage. 

"Naruto!" Tsunade cried, rushing towards the bloody redhead laying silently in the middle of a filthy and disregarded room. She moved her glowing green hands towards the gashes on his chest, praying for her godson to survive. 

"Damn it, Kurama! Where are you when we need you!" 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Kinuki?" Mouse put a hand on the other's back, comforting as much as she could.

"Fine." He said dryly, picking up his pen once more. 

With 3 hand seal's chakra quickly flowed into the pen, it's golden color reflecting onto the face of the terrified shinobi. 

Jiraya held the man's mouth as Aka used the golden chakra to write another seal over his tongue, watching in mirth as the redhead revealed yet another of his many tricks. 

"There," Aka resealed the pen into his storage seal. "Now speak."

Sloth came up behind the man, pulling a kunai up to the back of his neck, making sure that the other could feel it. 

"My name is Tsuji Katsumoto, I am a spy of the root."

"What was your goal, spy of the root?"

Tsuji felt the kunai dig deeper as he took his time answering the question. 

"To gain information on the infamous Endless red." 

Aka groaned, gaining laughter from the others in the room. All except one, the most ferocious of them all. 

A stomped up to the spy, picking him and the chair up by the collar. 

"You will speak or have your head chocked off by the likes of me! Do you understand!" 

Tsuji gulped, nodding.

"Good," He set the chair down.

"Anyways," Aka advanced, motioning for the man to continue. "Is Danzo still alive."

A nod. "Of course, he is."

"Kami damn it I knew it!" Jiraya shouted, getting closer to the tied man. "He's the one behind the Akatsuki, isn't he? Isn't he!"

Another nod. 

"If only we made sure to kill him." Mouse looked towards the man in disgust. "Then all this would be prevented."

"I said 'hey why don't we check his pulse," Sloth retorted, "But Master Jiraya said-"

"Don't bother there is no way anyone who faced the wrath of two psycho's would still be alive." The sage seethed, hitting his head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. I am nothing but a fool. My own student is suffering under his control. Killing because of Danzo. And it's no one's fault but my own!"

"You know it's not your fault, pervy sage," Kinuki reassured the other. "If it's anyone's fault it would be mine. I knew the final strike wasn't hard enough and just left him."

Jiraya fell back on himself, leaning against the wall in shame. He wouldn't be able to convince the others that it was clearly his fault. So what was the point of even arguing? 

Deep down, Kinuki he had to tell his sensei about Pein's future deeds as much as he didn't want to. But that was a conversation for another time. And of course, not in front of so many. 

Aka turned back towards the shinobi who looked as though he were to wilt in his place. 

"Is Danzo the one expanding the Akatsuki? "

Tsuji nodded. 

"How so?"

"W-well," The man cleared his throat. "He is trying to take over Ame through the use of Pein. And since the people of Ame put their trust in the Akatsuki, they are hoping to put up an uprising against Hanzo again."

"Hanzo?" Jiraya furrowed his brows. "Don't they know not to pick a fight with him? They almost died last time." 

Tsuji shrugged, just hoping deep inside that he wouldn't be killed my Danzo after revealing so much.

In moments, the village became a literal chaos, children screaming, crashing being heard from all over the village.

A stomped to the window quickly, trying to gather what had happened in such a short amount of time. 

It was clear that the village was under attack, but by what forces? With so many soldiers, it would be easy to spot from a distance, so why didn't anyone send a signal or at least a report?

"Sir!" A shinobi threw the door open, throwing the shinobi into the room in a deeper hole of confusion. "Stone forces are attacking! The leader is requesting for the Endless Red to show himself."

The redhead groaned, still trying to get used to the good awful name. Maybe he could convince the shinobi forces to give him another one. To use some of their pea-sized brains.

"How many units are available for attack?" A shouted. 

"72 out of the 103, sir. The majority of squadrions are outside the village on missions or taken out while on patrol. It-" The shinobi gulped. "It all came to fast."

"Wow, no shit. I want all genin on duty on getting the citizens to safety and all chunnin on the walls. Any jonin is free to join where they see necessary or in dire need of help."

The man's face gained hope; if even a trickle. Bowing, he exited the room swiftly to relay commands. 

"A-" Kinuki started, trying to regain his composure. He had to be himself at this moment. To be steady and calculating without being self-deprecating. 

"Kinuki I need you here with me, I am not sending you out there."

"But A-" 

"Kinuki!" A glared daggers at the boy, swatting him into his place.

"Mouse, Sloth." Kinuki turned toward the two, their eyes already knowing what he was about to say. "Keep 'em safe."

"Yes, sir!" The two disappeared instantaneously, their chakra signatures reappearing on the battlefield. 

"What do you need me in here for?" Kinuki fused. "There are thousands out there, let me help them!" 

"He's right here, Kinuki." Jiraya agreed with A. "You have to stay here. If you go out there, you're just going to make things worse for both the village and yourself. Just stay on the down-low for now."

Just as Kinuki opened his mouth to retort, the raikage cut him off. "My shinobi are strong, don't you doubt that. If things go down-hill too fast I will send you in. But that is only if, do you understand?" 

Kinuki let out a sigh, nodding and turning back toward the spy. "Let's try getting some more information out of you.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In a white and clearly bleached room, a young boy lay under the covers of a silk bed, his abdomen covered in layers of gauze, his eyes slowly. With him, the past kage of the leaf sat, on a chair nearby, her green robes moving up and down as she herself slept. 

"Granny," The boy moved to wake the kage, only to hiss in pain. 

Lady Tsunade raised her head with a burst, standing to her feet to help the redhead. 

"Naruto, where does it hurt? Can you hear me?"

"Granny," Naruto repeated again. "Where is sai?"

Tsunade ignored the teen."I need you to try to stay still, we need to check on your wound. Kurama lost too much chakra to heal you properly."

"Granny!" The woman paused, looking deep into his eyes, eyes filled with passion and sorrow. "Where is sai?"

"Sai," She started. "Fell into the wrong mindset after meeting some rouge ninja. He was sealed against his will and wasnt able to think for himself anymore." 

Naruto fittled with the top of the silk sheet. "He's dead, isn't he?" 

"Yes, Naruto." 

The room fell silent. 

"Naruto?" The women questioned, expecting an outburst. 

"Yes, Granny?" He said quickly, without hesitance or any sort of emotion. 

"Are you ok?" 

Naruto moved to the side of the bed, ignoring the bursts of pain that covered his body. "I'm ok."

The redhead stood up, using the wall as support as he limped slowly. Blood slowly pooled out of his bandages and onto his garments. 

"Where are you going?" No reply. "Naruto, where are you going!"

"To train, I need to get stronger."

"You will sit back down right now, do you hear me?" 

"But this can't keep happenin-"

"Naruto get back here!"

"I can't keep losing everyone!" Naruto shouted, stopping the women in her tracks." Sakura, Shikamaru, Kiba, Negi, Hinata, Sai. They're all dead because of me! Because I failed to protect them. If I was stronger and better they would still be here. They would have a future with theyre family and kids and we would all grow old together. But they're gone! And nothing is going to change that!"

The teen reached the door. "Naruto, as godaime kage and as your doctor, I order you to sit your ass down right now and let me heal you." 

Naruto opened the door and slammed it closed, flinging his body threw the door. "Save it for someone who needs it." 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"This has gone long enough they need me out there!"

"Kinuki!" A shouted, getting back to his feet. "It's only been 3 hours, calm down!"

"Three hours too long. Do you value peace over dozens of lives?" 

"Of course not!"

"Then let me out there! My teammates are wounded, they need my help!" 

"Jiraya had been sent to help them. They are allowed to retreat if they need to. Sit down!" 

A Shinobi covered in grub and mud opened the door, ready to report when told. He had been giving reports by the hour, and so far, only handled bad news. A nodded towards the man, ordering him to report without even saying so.

"There are only 23 squads left against roughly 44 squads out of the beginning 80. The majority of their chunnin has been whipped out leaving mainly jonin."

"Damn it to hell!" The kage yelled slamming hard down onto his desk as he let out his rage. Sighing in defeat after calming down, he turned to Kinuki, nodded firmly.

In an instant, Kinuki flew out the window, gold chakra covering him as he moved faster among the buildings. 

The battleground emitted nothing but chaos. Blood splattered everywhere, children crying as they tried to free their parents from debris. It was horrifying to say the least. But, at this point, the teen was used to it. No matter how bad it may have seemed. 

Kinuki turned quickly as he felt the radiation of chakra emerging from behind. A man, covered in red garments and silk ties, blasted his way through the town, breaking everything in his path. Civilians and all. 

In the east, he could feel dozens of shinobi moaning and groaning for back up. For any sort of help. 

And so, with a plan quickly set in his mind, one Aka became a hundred Aka's, all flying in different directions. Just as the fourth shinobi war, the battleground became littered with gold flashes, with determination to protect. 

The real Aka, however, would face the real issue. With A now by his side, he made his way towards the gate of the village, trying to find whoever was commanding the squadrons. 

Past red flames, red lock's released wind the power of hundreds of typhoons, blasting everything away from its path. The weak and chakra-less fell, leaving the large man standing tall in the middle, his garments catching flame as the fire spread towards him.

Kinuki withdrew his katana, pushing as much chakra through it as he could before running forward in a burst. Slashing and turning, Kinuki wounded the man as much as he could before letting A take control. 

With a single one of his punches, the shinobi crumbled to the floor, breathing heavily as he tried to pick himself up. Ribs cracked, brushed and bleeding, he still managed to stand once more. He was a god damn monster

"How the fuck?" Kinuki scratched his head before kneeling in pain. He eyed his leg, bleeding and bubbling in all its glory. "Shit." 

"Are you hurt?" A said as he bounced backward. 

"I'll be fine." Aka heaved himself using one leg, "Let's take him out with one punch." 

A nodded, focusing all his chakra in his fist while Kinuki readied a Rasen-Shuriken. 

Swiftly, the two Kages punched at the man's stomach, crushing through it with a disgusting crunch. In his last moments, he used whatever chakra he had left to blast at Aka, throwing him into a building as he crumbled over him. 

A ran towards the teen, pushing the brick building off of the bleeding teen. One by one, gold left the battlefield in a waft of smoke, leaving everyone littered with confusion and frustration. 

'Damn it Kurama, why aren't you healing me!'

"If you wouldn't heed my warning's then you would at least heed the warnings of a doctor. You are unstable, kit. You need help." 

'Screw you!' Aka moved to pick himself up, only to fall back down.

"Shit!" He moved to pick himself up again, "Damn it, no!"

"Aka-san stay down!" A's words faded into white noise. 

The redhead felt lost. He couldn't help anyone in this state, he had to get up. But the more he tried, the more he realized that it was impossible. He couldn't help anyone. He was useless.

Medics rushed from every side, healing him as much as they could before transferring him. But by the time the familiar warm feeling of healing fell upon him, he was out. Stuck in his dark and lonely mind. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Mr.Totsuka, for the millionth time your teammates are fine. They are awake and healed with any grave medical issues. You need to calm down."

"A-are you sure?" Kinuki felt insecure about the vast amount of white and erely silence that he felt in the room. He hated hospitals.

"Yes but I am here to talk about your medical condition, not theirs." The doctor pushed up his glasses, flipping through the paper's on his checkboard before setting it down and looking at the boy at the edge of his seat. 

"Mr.Totsuka-"

"But I'm always healthy doc!" Kinuki smiled pointing to his teeth. "See!"

The doctor frowned. "Mr.Totsuka you have a deficiency in almost every vitamin, we have fed you by tube for the day's you were unconscious but before then, you were severely malnourished. I'm not sure who gave you clearance to go on the battlefield but it surely wasn't a smart man."

"I'm fine doc, promise!" Kinuki said cheerfully.

"Which leads me to another thing. There are many points that lead me to believe that you have severe PTSD and anxiety, if not more than that. Now, I don't know the life you've led, Mr.Totsuka, but you have to take better care of yourself. I would suggest taking a break from the field until-"

"No," Kinuki said blankly. "Is that all? Would I be able to leave now? I just want to go back to Konoha after so long."

The doctor sighed, he would never get passed the amount of determination to fight a shinobi had. "No, in the state your in, I'm surprised you're even standing. You're sticky thin and unstable, you need rest-"

The redhead stood, moving to the door. "Thank you, have a nice day." 

The door was locked. 

"Mr.Totsuka, you cannot leave!"

Kinuki made his way towards the open window, smiling before going down the building walking peacefully sideways. He opened his seal, happy to find the lion mask Kakashi had once spared him and slid it on as a substitute to his shattered old one. He really had to start reinforcing them. 

"Why didn't you listen to the doctor?"

"Because," The teen turned to face the Hyuga, his red locks radiating in the day's light Sun. "He was spouting nonsense."

"He's a trained professional, he knows what he's doing." 

"Nah," Kinuki waved his hand. "I'm fine"

Sloth frowned, looking towards the hidden mouse. 

"A said that he wanted to talk to us before we leave." Kinuki started walking towards the kage's tower. "We leave exactly after that so make sure to bring your bags. You got that mouse!"

Mouse raised a thumbs up from her hiding spot.

"Good, we meet back up in 20 minutes!" 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"So," Kinuki stared, looking at the proud man in front of him. "I take it the battle went well?"

"Swimmingly!" A said sarcastically. "But in the end, it helped my reputation quite a lot. So I thank you."

"For what? I didn't do much. So many people lost their lives in this battle and it's all my fault." 

"Jariaya told me how much effort you put into giving me a good name. And so, I grant you a reward." He pulled out a large bag from the bottom drawer of his new desk, pushing it towards the team. "The equivalent of an S ranks. I hope it is split accordingly."

Mouse and sloth bowed, taking the money and sealing it quickly to be distributed later. "Thank you, sir."

"I am in your debt, Kinuki." The redhead's eyes widened, considering the words that were never said before. 

"Thank you." Kinuki smiled. "Although I have a question before leaving."

A nodded. "Where is B?" 

"Ah," The Kage nodded. "The jinchuriki? He is currently being trained to hone his skills, he will be back in the next week or so." 

"That's all I needed to know," Kinuki smirked. "Tell him I said hello."

The kage raised an eyebrow but nodded none-to-less. "Alright. Dismissed."

And so, after weeks of the lighting village's bullshit, Team 007 went home. 

Past the stone gates, past the lakes and rouge ninja. Was home. And they couldn't be happier. If not the journey that was sure to last an additional week. Mouse groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done! WowWee this was a weird one. But it's finally done and ahh does it feel good to be writing again. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for the support you have been showing me. I just want to hug and squeeze you all! For those of you who are in school, I'm so sorry, I hope you're having a nice weekend. And for those of you who are starting in a week like me, good luck! 
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


	10. Chapter 9 | Purple Hyacinth

Thanks for waiting, everybody! I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.

As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D

Word count: 6731

'Thoughts...'

"A physical speech..."

"Kurama talking..."

"Past memory..."

Enjoy!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"What does this purply one symbolize?" The young cerulean eyed teen pointed towards bright magenta petals, curiosity filling his sad eyes after long months. Ino always managed to make the simplest thing magical.

"The Kalmia or spoonwood symbolizes perseverance." The girl flipped her blond hair onto her other shoulder, stretching at the fabric of her purple sleeve.

The teen ran across the spacious flower shop, taking in the abundance of flowers the girl managed to gather in the short time she had moved into the place. Her old home had become debris, leaving her and her family in search of a new haven. And so they found 143 Arkime road, a tiny home with a large shop on the side. Perfect for the flower-loving family.

The younger squatted next to another patch of flowers."How about this one? It's a Daffodil, right?"

"Wow, you actually know one of the names. What a surprise." She replied sarcastically, smirking at the male's deflated face. "The narcissus Daffodil represents rebirth; to start anew. Pretty cool, huh?"

Another speck of purple caught the teen's eye, dragging him closer and closer towards it till-

Slap.

"Don't touch the flower, Naruto! I told you this already."

"But it's so pretty"

"And your ugly hands will ruin it if you touch it."

"Nuh-uh."

"Ya-huh." Ino let out a puff of air, sending her hair spiraling upwards. "The purple hyacinth is one of the saddest flowers I know. I don't really like it that much."

"What does it mean?" The whiskered teen inquired, attempting to touch its petals once more only to have his hand slapped again.

"It asks the person for forgiveness, to express sorrow and loneliness."

"Huh." Naruto sat on the floor, watching In's facial expression change into what one could only call grief and pain.

"My dad used to give it to me after every fight. And I would accept his apology without a second thought because of how pretty they were. Such an exquisite but delicate thing."

"Sorry about your dad Ino. I wish I could've done something more to save him"

The girl smiled sadly. "It's not your fault, dobe. No one can stop nature. His sickness was incurable. Not even Sakura knew what to do before she died."

Silence overtook the flower shop. "It'll get better." The blond grinned. "Don't you worry about it. I promise you one day. All our sadness will fade to fondness and we'll be happy again."

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Ok."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Leaves of every color flooded the dull forest. Declaring it fall with as much fury as possible. It was cold. Freezing cold. But no one was going to admit that.

Mouse rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to make herself warmer before walking towards the burning logs.

Aka rushed through a few seals, clearing the fire and effectively making mouse mad. He cut her off before she was able to mutter a word. "Ok. Let's get moving again. My clones are sensing some enemies up ahead again."

"Again?" Mouse groaned. "Why is there so many Iwa-nin?"

"I don't know, Mouse. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we pissed off the Tsuchikage." Sloth flung his bag over his shoulder before retreating to the trees once again.

It had been five days since they last saw civilization. Five days of continuous traveling and short conversations. They were supposed to be home by sundown but with the constant battles they fount along the fire border, Aka doubted they would even make it by noon tomorrow.

Onoki was mad. That was obvious. Why he was mad wasn't so obvious. The most obvious conclusion would be Aka's siding with A and the attack on their shinobi. Sure, that would make the most sense.

But it was foolish for the elder to send so many of his soldiers to Konoha in a time of their power. Konoha was quickly forming alliances and making allies that protection came easy. And yet, Onoki continued to send shinobi to their end. Whether it be imprisonment or death, Aka wasn't sure, but he was damn sure that the war hadn't ended as he thought. He was stuck in this for the long run. Or at least till the bickering of Kages ended.

Sloth spoke up. "I see 7 targets up ahead. It seems that 3 of them are low-level chunnin and the rest are either chunnin or jonin, it's not to clear. Almost like its fuzzy."

"Chakra blockers most likely." Kinuki sighs. "It's fine. With what we had so far, none of the Iwa-nin have been above mid-jonin. If anything, I'm here to help you two."

The two masked ANBU nodded, continuing forward with as chakra induced agility. To the eyes of a trained shinobi, flashes of black could be seen as they moved. But a civilian could only hope to one day see the trio.

The month had been harsh to Kinuki. Pieces of memories continued to pop up, forcing him to try to forget the things he hated most one again. The death of his friends is the only thing he truly hoped to forget. It only served as a reminder of his continued failure over the years. He loved them, he truly did. Every day was a blessing when he had his childhood friends caring for him as he grew with power. Envying him, but only helping him move even further with their combined efforts.

The death of Konoha only propelled him forward, to travel to the past to the first place. It was the only memory he could never forget; he would never let himself. He accepted the failure for his village, it was out of his control.

But why was it so hard to accepted the death of his loved ones? He knew that he came to the past to correct his mistakes, but every moment without them drew long and grieving breaths out of him. It couldn't happen again. He would never allow it.

That's why, when he saw the iconic Ina-Shika-chou trio sitting defeated against a tree while their joinin instructor fought off 3 foreign nin, did he dare to strike first.

Slowly, the three ANBU broke the dull thumping of kicks and punches with their own fist. Symotaiously, the three Iwa-nin dropped to the floor, alive but surely unconscious for the time being.

"Shozaburo-san, are you hurt?" Sloth asked immediately, pacing towards the man as he allowed mouse to check the chunnin.

"No," the joinin replied, cracking his back. "A couple of bruises here and there but I'll be fine."

"How about the children?" Aka questioned quickly.

"They'll be fine. They fought diligently until I was able to arrive. I applaud their continued efforts through these strange times. They really are improving."

"Shikaku." Chouza's small hand reached for his friend, whispering quietly as to not alert the strangers his sensei talked to. Mouse raised an amused eyebrow at his efforts. "Shikaku?"

"Shut up." The pineapple headed child quickly replied. "It's him."

"Wha- huh? Who?"

"The endless red you idiot." Shikaku paused, peeping his closed eyes open only to see pure blue eyes staring him straight in the face. "Damn."

"Are you three alright?" The lion mask replied, his bright hair intimidating the children. Shikaku could only look at it as though it be a shining fire.

"Pretty," Inoichi said softly, his face flushing when he heard the ANBU's light chuckle.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Mouse pat the top of Inoichi's head. "Are you four on a mission or something? It's dangerous to be out of the village now that the Kisukage in pissed."

"Yes, we were sent a backup for team Kakashi" The sensei replied for them. "This was supposed to be their first mission on their own but the Hokage decided to intervene after someone blocked communication."

"Strange, huh? I bet it's nothing though. Those three sure are strong."

Chouza picked himself up. "Without a doubt! They were so awesome in the chunnin exams! I can't wait till we could go on our own missions too!"

"This generation is coming up on 13 years old, right? I bet you'll be on your own very soon. Savor the time you have left as a team, Chouza. I left my team when I was around 13 and it was only then that I realized how much the connection we had meant to me." Aka's eyes saddened. "They were my best friends."

"How old are you now?" Shikaku asked quietly.

The lion smiled. "18."

"So you haven't seen them for 5 years?"

Aka paused. When was the last time he had seen the four of them together? When did he last see a cheerful Sakura and a broody Sasuke and a very punctual sensei? He can't even remember that time anymore. A time where he didn't have to comfort Sakura about Sasukes betrayal. To spar with Sasuke with a smile on his face.

"..I guess you can say that."

"5 years?" Inochi rose a brow. "I can't go 5 hours without seeing these fools."

Chouza nudged the top on Inoichi's head. "You be happy about that, stupid! We'll all be together forever! There are no take-backs."

The ANBU team chuckled at the team's antics.

"Let's get moving, team." Shozaburo-san picked Chouza off of Inoichi. "We got work to do. Thank the ANBU and let's get moving."

"Aye, Aye sir." The trio said slowly. "Thank you for helping us."

Mouse scratched the back of her neck. "It was nothing. You guys be safe, now."

"Yes, ma'am."

And then, they were gone. Silent as the moving leaves, the scene that was once bizarre, disappeared under the ANBU's influence.

The team themselves couldn't wait to slip into a hot bath after weeks of long work.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A frantic Minato paced the gate of the grand Konoha village. Taking sharp strides as he moved from right to left contimpating the condition of his team. They had to be ok, right? They wouldn't die foolishly. And even if Obito managed to mess something up, Kakashi and Rin were there too. They would be able to stop him in time.

"Minato!" The blond turned towards the source of the voice, smiling as he meet the eye contact of a familiar redhead.

"Look who it is. The infamous Endless Red. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Aka groaned at the name before turning back to his team quickly. "You guys go home and rest, I'll hand in the report. Good work you two."

With a nod, the two ANBU disappeared within the village quickly.

"The last time I saw you the sun was still trying to cook us alive. Where have you been all this time?"

" I'll tell you later when there isn't anyone around. How's the team? I heard that they went on their first real solo mission."

Minato's face dropped as he quickly remembered his earlier fuss. "Yes, and we lost communication with them halfway through. I'm not really sure what happened and Hokage-sama refuses to let me go after them." He sighed. "I'll I can do is hope Obito didn't do anything stupid."

Aka chuckled dryly. "They'll be fine, Minato, don't worry. I'm sure Rin wouldnt let the two of them do anything crazy."

"I know. But I'm still worried."

"It's justified. You just got to let your little chicks fly away from the nest" Aka put his hands behind his neck, leaning against them lightly. "I gotta go to the Kage's office to report our mission. Join me? Maybe It'll take your mind off of the team."

"Sure." The duo began to weave through the whispering crowds, eyeing them as they took short steps before jumping to the rooftops. For a spy who's been gone for years, Kinuki knew the rooftops like the back of his hand.

"How about we all go for a celebratory Ramen when the team comes back home?"

The blond grinned. "Definitely. Team Kakashi will be more than happy to see you again."

"It's still your team, Minato"

"I know, but Kakashi is captain for the time being. Might as well call them that. I got to let them go, like you said."

The whiskered teen gave the other a sad smile. "You'll always be their sensei, though. Never forget that. My sensei will always be my sensei. As will yours."

Minato smiled, not leaving the distraught expression go unnoticed. He was right though, Jariya-sensei will always be Jariaya-sensei. And little did Minato know that the ANBU was thinking the exact same thing.

"Aka-sama, Namikaze-sama, I've been awaiting your arrival. Please follow me." The assistant at the front desk of the Kage's tower rushed toward the two before bowing swiftly. Practically running, the jonin entered the full conference room. The council halted past conversations as their eyes met the masked mans.

"Ah, Aka-san." The Hokage greeted. "Right on time. Please take a seat."

"Uh, should I be here?" Minato inquired.

"There are topics of your team that have to be addressed, so yes, Minato-san." The blond felt sweat rushing down his forehead. "And don't worry, they are on their way back, safe and sound. It is not a bad discussion."

Aka sat next to his Kage, pulling the chair out and in with the creak of the floorboards. Next to him, Minato sat quietly.

Hokaru spoke first. "Congratulations on the Bingo book placement, Aka-san. It's a mighty achievement."

"It must be troublesome." The Nara representative pushed his hand into his cheek and leaned his elbow onto the hardwood table. "Sudden fame can cause stupid rumors and theories. Half the village is scared of what else you can do."

"Does anyone actually know the full story?"

"No. But that's why rumors exist."

"Troublesome, indeed. But, what can we do about it?" Aka sighed."What's up Jiji. What happened? Does this have anything to do with the increase in Iwa soldiers?"

"The Tsuchikage has continued war tactics against A and Konoha, as I'm sure you've heard."

"Yes, I was part of one of the battles there recently."

The kage let out a puff of smoke. "You'll brief me on that in private."

"Understood."

"Onoki is mad that you broke your promise. He believes the villages are trying to team but against him. And he is trying to increase his odds by decreasing out forces. Although none of his soldiers are causing us damaging harm, it is leaving us mental scars. On top of that, there is a problem within Konoha's citizens. Let me just be frank, the village is scared of you."

Minato spluttered, pointing toward the redhead. "Of this harmless guy?"

"Not so harmless considering the dent in the Iwa forces after his outburst. No one knows how to react. On one side, the civilians believe that you are a strong force and are proud to have you on our side." Sarutobi took a deep breath. "The rest demand banishment."

Chatter filled the council room.

Aka remained silent before turning towards the council with a frown. "I'm a strong ninja to have on your side. It would be foolish to push me away. My strange power shall remain classified within me and the Kage's discretion, but it is only a boaster in desperate situations. I have many other strengths that do not rely on that chakra."

"I say we have some shinobi supervise the man," Hokaru suggested. "Till proven safe at the very least. I can have some of my men do so immediately.."

"It is a time of war," The Kage reminded the council. "Powerful Ninja are needed to fight against powerful enemies."

"It would only be for a short period of time-" Hokaru was cut off.

"The clan heads would like to suggest an alternative." Hiashi stood from his chair, gaining nods from all the clan heads. "We heard of Hatake Kakashi's request to be put in ANBU and we all consider him as a serious candidate. Putting the village known prodigy under Kinuki's command would increase the village's trust and train him to become stronger. "

The council considered the bargain. It was a good plan, truly. But was it worth it thrusting a mere 13-year old into battle?

"Aka-san?" The Kage questioned the redhead.

"I agree to those terms. I've been considering that myself. Kakashi is a strong kid. He has to move up sometime. Besides, team 007 needs an additional member anyway."

"Is it really a good idea to put a 13-year old into ANBU? An emotionally distraught one at that." Minato fiddled with his nails. The odds were not in his favor. He was surely going to lose Kakashi. "How is the rest of the team going to function without him?"

"They'll manage." The elder replayed quickly. "It's decided then. ANBU Team 007 will remain under Aka-san's command with the addition of a new member. On other topics, Jariaya has requested team 007 to join him shortly to identify the increased death's caused by a man named Pein. Jariaya believes you may have some helpful information on the topic after your last spy mission."

"Yes, I understand." The teen nodded, pushing further. "But what about Onoki? What are we going to do about him?"

"For now, there is little we can do but wait for how this will turn out. I will send a request of information to the lightning village on recent attacks, but there is no rush for now."

"Wouldnt it be beneficial to officially end the war as quickly as possible?" Aka scratched his chin. "I should be able to convince him by talking to him. He would understand."

"I doubt it." Homaru shook his head. "The man is stubborn, I'll give him that. I doubt he'll back down even if we offered our best men."

"But if we just-"

"Aka," Sarutobi spoke strongly. "This is a conversation for another time. Thank you, the is council dismissed. Aka, stay."

The room emptied quickly, leaving the two to stare blankly at each other.

"You know I want to end the war as quickly as possible, right?"

"I know."

"And yet you suggest we put off finding a solution? How is that going to help anyone?"

The elder let his cigar die down. "If we are too brash, we will damage our relationships with Kumo, and make everything worse. Is that what you want?"

"Well no but-"

"Tell me about your mission, Kinuki."

Aka sighed. "Fine, old man. Your move."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When Naruto finally entered his house after months of being stuck in Kumo's council room, the most noticeable part of his dusty apartment were the purple flowers on the dining room table. They themselves gathered the dust of everything around them, but still managed to brighten up the whole room.

Naruto smiled. No doubt this was the antics of Ino. He walked up to the floors, floorboards squeaking with every step, and read the small post-it she put on the vase.

It starts, 'Hey Naruto, welcome home. I hope you had a safe trip. I'm placing these flowers in your house before a really hard mission so wish me luck!"

He mentally noted that he had to give her a thank you present in return, running the options down in his head before realizing there was an envelope on his kitchen counter.

He opened it, slowly, recognizing Ino's handwriting immediately.

"I asked for Kakashi-sensei to place this note in your house next to the flowers if something bad ever happens to me. 

As I'm sure you remembered, the purple Hyacinth asks for forgiveness. I don't ask for forgiveness much but, as I'm sure you know, but it's a time of war and accidents happen.

If you're receiving this note, I died Naruto, I'm so sorry."

Naruto sprinted towards a wastebasket, dry heaving his empty stomach into its empty bag. Once he regained composure, he started reading further.

'I know I'm leaving you alone again, Naruto. I understand your pain after seeing so many of our friends die. I hope you can forgive me like I did my dad.

You're a social butterfly, you bafoon. You depend on the presence of others to feel whole yourself. Once this is all over, you'll make new friends and move on and that's ok! That's just who you are and we just want you to be happy.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should never give up. Don't give up on the village or yourself. Keep going, even after all hope seems lost. You just gotta push through it.

I'll see you soon! But hopefully not too soon,

xo Ino'

And that was all Ino left. Pieces of broken memories and a note.

Later in the day, the Kage took a single Hyacinth to the girl's grave trying to accept the fact that she was truly gone. The sweet girl, who had brought joy to everyone through her flowers, left a hole in his heart. Just like the rest of his friends had.

Would she forgive him if he just gave up then and there?

"Naruto," the blond turned towards the silver-headed male. "Let's get going."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"And there was this huge guy who scared the bejesus out of us and sucked in out chakra and everything!" Obito waved his hands around frantically. "Thank goodness I was there or we would all be dead."

"As if!" Rin hit the boy in the back of the head, causing a noodle to get stuck in his throat. "Kakashi did all that, Obito! You just stood there pissing your pants at how big he was." (A/N That's what she said)

"But you guys are alright? No injuries? Mental scars?"

"If you count the mental scars that Obito left me than dozens of scars are up there." Kakashi shivered.

Minato chuckled. "First time as team captain and I already have to let you go, huh? What a shame."

"Let me go?" The grey defying hair turned quickly towards Kinuki as he connected the dots. "Why would you have to do that? We didn't fail the mission, it just took to long because Obito was an idiot."

"Not let you go, let you go." The blond glanced at Kinuki and that was the last dot that Kakashi needed.

"I'm going to be ANBU?"

Kinuki pushed his Ramen bowl to Obito as he took a deep breath, smirking slightly. "Kakashi Hatake," He began. "In accordance to the council, I am authorized to give you a test of entry into ANBU. If you pass, you get to join my team. ANBU team 007."

Kakashi's eyes lit up in joy.

"But if you lose, you will never be allowed to join ANBU ever again."

The team stood silent. "I accept."

Kinuki smiled. "Good cause you never really had a choice in the first place. The test will commence at 10 am tomorrow on training ground 7. Teammates are welcome to jo-"

"What! No fair!" Obito spilled his ramen over his lap after he stood up too quickly. "How come he gets to join ANBU but I can't!"

"I wonder," Rin muttered sarcastically. "You got to prove yourself worthy first, Obito! You nearly ruined our last mission so how would you even join a real ANBU team?"

"I've fought in the war! I have experience!"

"That's true," Kinuki pushed his long hair into a ponytail as he spoke. "But Rin is also right. You need to work on solo jobs. You have plenty of skills to your disposal but you need to work on utilizing them. Otherwise, the enemy will strike quicker than you can even think."

"I know," Obito grumbled. "But it doesn't hurt any less, y' know?"

"I know." 

"What does that mean for our team sensei? Are we still going to even be a team?" Rin gave a panicked gaze towards her sensei.

"I'm not entirely sure. We may receive a third member or you'll just join me on mission's until you turn jonin. Although, I doubt we were going to be a team for long anyway. Most chunnin start solo missions after the age of 14. You guys are close to the finish line. You don't really need me anymore."

Rin and Obito teared up before bursting out. "Yes, we do sensei!"

Tecachi banged a spoon against a pot asking for silence.

"Sorry, Tecachi-san." Kinuki sighed. "I know it's hard to split the three of you up but we'll make sure to visit whenever we can, y' know. It's not like Kakashi is dieing. He'll still be around and may join you on missions in the future."

"I guess." Rin fiddled with her skirt.

Obito lifted his third bowl of ramen into his mouth, drowning his sorrows with the warm liquid.

"I'll be coming for you, Kakashi!" The raven said with a full mouth of noodles. "Just you wait, me and Rin will be faster and stronger than you the next time you see us!"

The said teen squinted. "Sure Rin will be, but you?"

The Uchiha frowned at his rival before standing up harshly. "In fact, I'm going to go train now!"

"Obito dont!" Minato warned the teen ran out the stand. "You just got back from a mission! You should rest!"

"No!"

Kinuki snickered. "We should get going too. You guys need to rest after such a long mission."

"So do you!" The blond scolded. "You just got off a mission that lasted 5 weeks. You look like death."

"No, I don't. I look normal."

"If normal is dead! And you still didn't tell me what the mission was about anyway."

The team began towards their home, separating as they crossed paths. Leaving the two future kages on a stroll by themselves in comfortable silence.

Kinuki opened the door to his house, only then realizing that the blond had followed him to his doorstep.

"Uh, Minato?" The blond hummed as his head drooped up and down. "You good?"

"Yup."

It was clear as day to Kinuki that after days of stress, the young sensei must be on his last legs. Leaving him tired after days of anxious puking.

He sighed. "Come in. I don't want you mugged on the way home. Besides, I'm sure that if you even walked a couple of steps, you'd fall face first."

"No, it's ok." The man rubbed his eyes. "I'll make it home. I just wanted to make sure you're safe first."

The teen squinted at the older for longs minutes before he finally gave in and walked through the open door.

The house was, as expected, dusty after weeks of not being used. But otherwise, it was just as he remembered it. The small apartment was cozy, he'll give him that. Rugs and blankets were placed in every available space and plants, that were now wilting, covered the window sills.

Kinuki reached into a cabinet, revealing a pretty blue vase with various shapes and sizes. Gold detailing wrapped around the figure as it filled up with water and was placed onto the kitchens countertop. The teen pulled up his sleeve, placing an open hand over it when beautiful pink flowers fell into his palm.

"It's a Kalima flower." He answered the older's unsaid question as he placed the flowers in the vase. "It symbolizes perseverance. I found some on the way back home and it reminded me of a friend."

Minato unzipped his flank placing it onto the couch before sitting down next to it. He leaned back into the couch, trying to ignore the back cutting springs.

"You really gotta get a new couch." He said eventually as the teen took off his katana and weapons pouch, unzipping his own vest so that he could breathe clearly once again.

"I know." Kinuki walked towards a closet and pulled out a blanket before opening the door to his bedroom. He threw the blanket at the blond. "You can sleep on my bed, I'll sleep on the couch. But before that, I got to take a shower. I'm filthy!"

"No, it's fine! I'll take the cou-" The slam of the bathroom door cut him off.

And then, Minato was alone in his friend's house. Minato glanced at the bedroom door before going through it, blanket in hand. Sure, he was tired. But he wasn't going to miss an opportunity to try to learn more about the mysterious man.

He glanced around the room, taking in the mess of papers that filled the entirety of the floor. Open books and textbooks were covered with colored sticky notes and writing. But the most distinguishable part of it all was the seals.

The future kage glanced at the textbooks, identifying them as medical textbooks and level 13 sealing books. Which was strange because last he heard Konoha based books only went up to level 8. It was the reason why he settled for improving on his own. Maybe he could ask Kushina later.

Circles with cuts and lines were redrawn over and over again before being thrown aside in what was most likely frustration. Just what was he working on?

With former knowledge, Minato tried to identify the pieces of the seals that he knew. There were several tiger and hare seals written in a mix with some other seals. Did Jariaya know about these seals?

"A dragon seal?" He muttered to himself.

"Yeah, its a combination of dragon and tiger with a hint of wolf. See, it balances each other out."

"Huh, yeah I see that." The blond paused, quickly realizing that Kinuki was here and placed the seal down as quickly as possible. He glanced at the teen, who's wet hair dripped slowly onto the floor, smiling apologetically. Through his pagama top, Minato could see bones sticking out clear as day and unconsiously made it an aim to fix his tiny frame. "Sorry I didn't mean to snoop around."

"Don't worry about it."

Minato picked up the seal again. "What is this anyway?"

Kinuki began picking up the scattered papers, placing them on the lone desk. "It's a healing circle me and my teammates made a long time ago."

"What does it do?" The other began helping in the cleaning process. He placed the open textbooks on top of the desk, making sure that the last page was marked.

"When you place it onto it person with blood, it should speed up the healing process by 50%. It heals a person whos on the verge of dying. At least thats what it's supposed to do." He looked down. "She died before we could complete it. I don't have enough knowledge about healing to finish it."

"Maybe Rin could help?"

Kinuki shook his head. "I just need to wait for Tsunade-sama. Maybe she could help. It was derived from her work after all."

Minato sat on the bed, realising instantly that it was far more comfortable than the couch. "I wanted to talk to you about Kakashi."

The redhead looked him dead in the eye. "You're scared for him, aren't you?"

"Well of course I am. He's like my son. You know, after his father died, I tried to substitute the missing affection in his life. But I know that he never thought much of it. He loved his father too much to ever replace him, no matter how hard he tries to deny that fact." He sighed. "You have to promise to take care of him, ok?"

"Of course," Kinuki placed a hand on the kages shoulder. " But you have to make sure that Rin and Obito also stay out of harm's way, alright?"

Minato stayed silent. "Why do you care so much?"

He was left with no response but a small hum.

"I mean, yes, we've known each other for a while now but I barely know you, Kinuki. You're such an enigma. And I want to write it off as kind-hearted but-"

"It's because you guys remind me of me. Or at least the old me, y' know. I used to have this wonderful team. A bright as the sun medic, a broody but smat prodigy, a never punctual sensei and, me. We were just a bunch of bafoons at the start and we quickly grew apart, but after a while, we were inseparable. Of course, that is, until they-" He put his head against the wall. "Died." The word left a dull taste in his mouth.

Minato's heart grew tight as he regretted the question that made his friend so- dull.

"Who were they? They sound like really good people. I feel like I should at least know them."

Kinuki smiled. "A bunch of brilliant fools, I swear to you. But now, let's go to bed, we gotta give an ANBU an inauguration tomorrow."

"Sure." The blond threw the blanket over himself, laying down on the soft mattress alongside the younger. He brightened as he heard the soft chuckle that came from the other's mouth before he stood up to turn off the lights and whisper a small 'Goodnight' as he exited the room. Maybe he hadn't just ruined everything after all.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"I'm telling you, we can't do anything about it! He is too crucial to the battlefield. We can't just take him out of it!"

"But we're talking about a soldier's health here!" Miasaji threw a fit against the Kage's words. "Kinuki is unstable and he needs to stay in the village to heal! Heck, Hiashi can even back me up on this!"

"She is righ-" Hiashi got cut off for the third time that day. He pushed his hair back in frustration.

"I know your right! I knew that from the moment he returned to Konoha. But currently, he is our only chance is winning this war or even leaving this war unscathed. He is the one who studied the battlefield for years! He is the one who could best interpret the next move of our enemies!"

"He could help from Konoha! Better yet, he could stay at the gates and monitor everything that happens in the village."

"He would end up losing himself even more!" Jiraya intervened this time. "He is a man of action, not of loose words and thoughts. He has to move around, save some people or he feels like he is useless to the world. That's the only purpose he thinks that he has."

"I know that." Miasaji kicked at the floor. "I've known that for weeks now. But I'm just worried. The doctor in Kusa really did seem concerned about his sanity. I just think if you gave him a break for at least three months, something would change in him. Give him another purpose."

The two elders glanced at each other before sighing. "After his mission to Ame, we'll consider it, alright? Right now, he is needed out there. He made too much of an impact on the world to just disappear from it suddenly."

"Thank you." Hiashi forced Miasaji to bow down with him. "That is all we ask. Have a nice day, gentlemen."

The Hyuga basically dragged the other out of the room, opening the grand door before closing it gently.

"What was that! That's not all we wanted! We want him out right now! Not in a couple of weeks!"

"We have to take what we can get, Miasaji! We were getting nowhere and it's already 0900! We've been there for over three hours talking about the same thing! Besides, we have to go meet our new member in twenty minutes. Kinuki said that we have to check his skills through a test first and I mean, I'm not missing out on a chance to watch that man do his magic."

"You shouldn't want to watch him 'do his magic' when he's in no position to do any 'magic'. I really feel like you should care more about this, Hiashi." 

"You heard what they said, didn't you. Kinuki is a key player in this!" Hiashi made vigorous hand movements. "You and I knew that even before Jiraya-sama and Hokage-sama told us. Everyone knows him now. He's just that kind of person." 

Miasaji turned away from the Hyuga, refusing to listen to the other as they enter the ANBU training field a few mere feet from the Hokage tower.

The girl's face fell further as she saw the white fang's son right in front of her.

"Pardon, are you-" Kakashi was cut off quickly. 

"No way, you!" Miasaji made large steps through the muddy grass until she was right in front of the young boy's face. "Your Minato's boy!"

"You know sensei?"

"Of course I know your sensei! He's my drinking buddy, silly! He talks about you all the time. He always-"

"That's enough, Miasaji." Kinuki cut off the women as he entered the training ground alongside Minato's team. 

Miasaji noted the deep scowl that etched itself into the young Uchiha's face and the slight pout of Rin's cheeks. They were jealous, a toddler could see that from a mile away.

Miasaji grinned. "So it's Minato who's joining the team, huh? I thought you said that you would never join ANBU. Too gruesome or something or another."

"No, actually." Minato chuckled. "It's Kakashi who's joining the team today."

"This little twerp?" The girl pointed aggressively. "You think HE'S fit for the team, Kinuki? I can't believe I have to doubt your judgment." 

The redhead pat the younger's head. "He's not someone to underestimate, Mou- I mean, Miasaji. It was the council who even offered Kakashi this position." 

Kinuki looked down at Kakashi, trying to ignore the dull pain in his heart that desperately begged him to try to find an alternative option. He wanted to push this Kakashi away from this path, not toward it. On the other hand, he could use this forced closeness to improve his mood and make the boy less pessimistic about the world. 

And in the end, he choose the latter. 

The Jinchuriki bounced across the training yard, pushing himself into a stance. 

"You ready to show Miasaji whatcha got?"

Kakashi lifted his arms, taking in the environment as he took a deep breath. 

"Ready." 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Dun dun dun. That's it for now, I'm afraid. Thank you for your patience, everyone! It's been harder than I would've ever expected to be in art school, you know? Too many projects ;^; On other notes, this chapter feels a little rushed, but I wanted to get it out to everyone as soon as possible. 

I just wanted to say, and this is important, future chapters are going to be shorter. This is only to provide all my new viewer's more consistent updates and events. In that way, I can focus on expanding upon small events instead of trying to slave away with more than 5 scenes per chapter. I hope ya'll are ok with that. 

Also!!! Please draw your attention to Ino's flashback because that is going to be very relevant in the future! 

ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,

Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, what did you guys think? I think it was pretty neat, considering that it's my first fanfic. Well anyways, 
> 
> ƭɦαɳҡร ƒσ૨ ૨εα∂เɳɠ! ԋαʋҽ α ɳιƈҽ ԃαყ,
> 
> Aɳԃ ԃσɳƚ ϝσɾɠҽƚ ƚσ ʋσƚҽ αɳԃ ƈσɱɱҽɳƚ!


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